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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147776">Many Generations of Peverells</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WampusRoar13/pseuds/WampusRoar13'>WampusRoar13</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Peverell Lines Run Deep [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Harry Potter, Daddy Kink, Gay Sex, Gen, Good Albus Dumbledore, Hedwig (Harry Potter) Lives, Hedwig Deserves Better, Heir of Gryffindor Harry Potter, Heir of Slytherin Harry Potter, M/M, Multi, Older Man/Younger Man, Past Child Abuse, Peverell Heirs, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:34:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>90,837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23147776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WampusRoar13/pseuds/WampusRoar13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rather than taking off the night the Order of the Phoenix comes to retrieve Harry from the Dursleys, Draco finds out that his mother owns the Lestrange vault the day before Harry turns fifteen and comes into his siren inheritance. On the clock, the second generation of Marauders rush to destroy the horcruxes, then face the consequences of their plotting in the form of a very large, eclectic family.</p><p>Can be read as a stand along story! No need to have read parts one and two.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore/Original Percival Graves, Albus Dumbledore/Original Percival Graves/Gellert Grindelwald, Harry Potter/Theseus Scamander, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, Orion Black/Aberforth Dumbledore, Percival Graves | Gellert Grindelwald/Original Percival Graves, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Narcissa Black Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Peverell Lines Run Deep [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1467184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>151</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Harry Potter FFs</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Prologue: Peverell Lines Prologue</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>September 1974</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did he manage to get you all kicked out this time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Set a cretin gnome loose on the heartless btich’s house elf while he was serving tea. Only took him three days to execute; he’s getting pretty good at it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did Abby say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He scolded him for causing trouble; after she cursed him the other month I was worried too… But, he laughed his ass off once the boys went upstairs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She didn’t?” The Director hissed nastily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion saw two secretaries, where they were entering the small room that housed the elevators, quickly turning on their heels to vacate the space with the angry vampire. He said nothing, not feeling his friend should have to be self conscious for cowardly individuals, “She did. I threatened her to within an inch of her life, but it makes me terrified to go to work every other week. Reggie’s gotten good at flying under her radar, but Sirius… You know how he is, Perce.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percival Graves sighed as he and Orion waited for the elevator. The wizards were heading back toward his office from their ally conference, which had dragged on too damn long. Both were ready to grab their jackets and get to dinner, needing to be anywhere but work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director did in fact know how his oldest godson was. Sirius Orion Black treated being in Gryffindor as a way of life. He admitted, “Britain may not have done the same Statute of Secrecy crap, but Europe’s magical family law is as ancient and shitty as anywhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you telling?” The Black Lord demanded, “I don’t even know of anywhere else that magical marriage contracts are still a thing. Who let’s parents make teenagers sign something like that?” Orion growled, “Cygnus threatened to do it to his girls; I told him he’d never get another penny from our family and that’s only if I didn’t kill him. If Sirius or Reggie ever even… Sometimes I don’t know why Abby puts up with me and my family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re his mate and he loves you. You can’t help that your father was a bastard,” Percy reminded him, “I knew the rogue wasn’t going to risk being at Grimmauld Place before he went back anyway. He’d die if Aberforth didn’t put him on that train.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, the rogue wasn’t his only nephew at Hogwarts anymore, “How’s Reg liking school?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine, he’s got Cissy and her friend, Severus. Boy’s not crazy about being apart from Sirius so much, but it’s part of being in different houses; he’ll be fine,” Orion was glad for his youngest niece. He was even more ecstatic that, with both boys in school, he didn’t have to spend every other week at Grimmauld place with Walburga. At least until summer rolled back around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought Sirius’ first letter was going to burst into flames like a howler, he was so excited,” Orion chuckled, “He keeps talking about getting his lion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jamie too,” Percival huffed, “We’re never going to keep them from it until they’re seventeen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to agree with you, but Abby’s determined. I’m not getting involved, he and Sirius can duke it out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire laughed, “I’ll put money on the boys; we’re getting too old to win against the new generation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Black Lord groaned, “Don’t remind me. I’m already dreading turning fifty this year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are the youngest person in the family!” Percy reminded him, “The kids excluded, obviously.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, but it still bugs me. Besides, you’ve been thirty-five for a damn eon by now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes the Director acknowledged, “That part’s true.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was silence for several long moments and Orion studied his best friend. He could tell that the vampire was lost in thought, as the Graves Lord stood perfectly still, not bothering to keep up the constant movement that he was so used to exhibiting at work, “Why don’t you just go see him? Firecall and talk? Send a letter, anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director huffed, eyes moving down to stare at his feet, “I don’t know anymore. What would I even say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you, I miss you, I’m not even mad anymore,” A femine voice joined them in the little room housing the elevators, “By the way, take your pants off, because I’m coming over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion laughed so hard he had to lean on the wall beside the elevator shaft. He couldn’t deny that Porpentina Scamander was one of his favorite people. The woman took absolutely no shit from her declared work husband and he loved the way that she challenged his and his mate’s best friend. Once he could breathe, even as Percy shook his head at her, the siren exclaimed, “That works!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That does not work,” Percy hissed at his work wife, “Besides, it’s been decades. He may not even want to speak to me anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now it was Tina who rolled her eyes, “Percy, the man could break out any time he wanted; he’s proven that many times. It’s his own damn castle! The only reason he’s stayed in time out is because of you. You were genuinely mad at him and he can’t stand that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He huffed, “I’ll think about it, just... New topic, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elevator sounded it’s arrival and as they all stepped in Tina acquiesced to his request, “So, how’s it feel to be an old man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are older than me!” Orion said with mock offense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but now you’re officially going to be one of us!” Tina told him, “Bet Sirius has had a field day with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He groaned, “Damn straight he has. I don’t want to be fifty!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then don’t,” Percy said dryly, as the doors started sliding shut, “You are a siren, it’s your choice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tina puffed at him exasperated, “Says the man who loved being fifty and who has stayed deaged for someone he’s not even speaki…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A hand dashed in to stop the doors right before the doors closed. When it popped back open and Albus Dumbledore realized who was in the elevator, they could all see that he wished he hadn’t caught it. After a moment of shock, he stepped into the golden machine with them, pressing the button for the floor below Percy’s office. He kept his back to the three and his lips tight, obviously refusing to say a word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy and Orion both rolled their eyes meeting glances, before the Graves Lord took an even breath, refusing to give an audible show of his frustration, as he cast his eyes upwards staring at the ceiling. He prayed to Mary and Morgana that the ride would be blessedly short. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irritated with his brother in law, Orion glanced over to Tina and realized that she was glaring absolute daggers into Albus’ head for ignoring her best friend and work husband. He knew that the woman was protective of Percival; had been since he returned from spousal abduction to the States with Flea. Her resentment was only intensified by the way Albus had ignored his family since their infant daughter was kidnapped by muggle extremists. Although Aberforth and Albus had started talking again, tentatively, when Sirius started Hogwarts, Orion wasn’t thrilled with him either and did not like being ignored when the brothers were supposed to be in contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the door slid shut, he had a thought, “Sirius was telling me that Jimmy placed team Captain over the summer, how did it go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the years, Percival Graves had been hatefully told that vampires couldn’t feel and were heartless a million times. When he glanced toward Orion’s reflection and spotted Albus Dumbledore’s horrified expression at the nickname in the elevator metal, it became his personal mantra for several seconds, to keep himself from busting out laughing. They were all shielding at work, but he would have given anything to hear what the fae and genius was thinking at that moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily Tina didn’t even miss a beat, popping her ‘boss’ in the shoulder, “Oh, you didn’t tell me that! Tell Jim I said congratulations!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will,” He said smoothly, glancing at her with a small grin for covering him, “It went very well. He managed to get invited back to lead the team again next year. Flea and I were surprised when Sirius didn’t join.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heartless bitch wouldn’t sign; they required dual consent,” Orion growled, “He showed out so badly, that’s when she cursed him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jimmy mentioned she had something to do with it,” Percy acknowledged, “When he turned up at the apartment. He seemed excited to play the team’s mascot though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Getting my oldest to show out is never a challenge,” Orion admitted, “I’m sure he made a right spectacle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he manage to get you three back to Hogsmeade before school started?” Tina asked the Black Lord.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That he did,” Orion smiled, “Used a cretin gnome this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Points for originality,” Tina told them as the doors slid open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus Dumbledore stepped out quickly, face still looking like he had tasted a lemon, and disappeared around the nearest corner. The three of them shared a look as the door started closing once more. As soon as it was shut, they all burst out laughing. Orion leaned back on the furthest wall of the elevator to hold himself up. While Tina’s head fell forward onto Percy’s shoulder, her whole body shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire shook his head at the two, wiping a tear from his eye, “We’re all going straight to hell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jewish,” Tina reminded him playfull for the billionth time in their fifty years together at Macusa, “Go to confession, you’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy snorted, “Forgive me father, for I have sinned… My best friend’s brother in law was being a prick, so we screwed with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion laughed, “Can’t you just say mate? It’s less of a mouthful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Own it,” Tina encouraged, “You’ll feel better.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s had that shit shut down for so long,” Percy sighed, “I don’t think it’s applicable if you’ve never said two words to one another.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not even when Blondie went to prison?” Tina asked him, “Nothing? Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Positive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Albus is the master of avoidance,” Orion told her, as they stepped out of the elevator, heading for Percy’s office, “There’s a reason he took so long to confront Gellert. A blood pact promising to always love each other didn’t keep him from jack shit, and even then, Percy had already done the hard part to make The Liberator want to break that wand in half when he took Flea away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair,” Tina moved on quickly, remembering that Percy had already tolerated talk of his other mate as much as he would today. She didn’t blame him honestly; neither of Percy’s mates were prizes in her opinion, “Where are you two heading?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dinner, care to join us?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t, Mora had her foal. I promised to help after work,” Tina told them, stepping into her office to grab her coat, before catching up to them in Percy’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The auburn hippogriff, right?” Percy clarified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Give my congratulations to all,” The Director encouraged as she quickly took off for home. He and Orion headed back toward the elevators once more, moving to the international floo network and waiting for Abby to join them in the States for a night in New York.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the bar owner arrived he saw immediately that his younger mate and best friend were entirely too happy, “What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t we just have a good day?” Orion asked, stealing a kiss as they finally moved out of MACUSA.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At an international conference full of all day meetings?” Aberforth reminded sarcastically, “No, no you cannot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s got you there,” Percy pointed out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion still couldn’t force the grin from his face as they moved toward their favorite italian restaurant in the city, “Fine, we may have done a bad thing to your brother.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He had it coming,” The salt and pepper haired fae said confidently, “But what did you do?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time they finished their story, Aberforth was being held up by his mate, after Percival shared the image of his big brother’s face using legilimency. He couldn’t breathe because, unlike Percy, he knew exactly what his genius of a brother had been thinking. Fleamont was Percy and Grindelwald’s only child; that made James the Flaring Fiend’s heir. The thought of them calling the legendary and notorious Liberator’s heir ‘Jimmy’ would have just bugged the absolute hell out of the barely red haired wizard and that made his gut want to explode from the induced hysteria.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio enjoyed dinner, sharing the rest of their day’s experiences, both at the conference and the bar. The two government officials talked about the endless meetings they’d endured and Abby shared the letters that Sirius and Reggie sent home that day. Then they left for their upscale apartment building, where Orion kept a place in the city for nights like tonight, when they were in the States; the couple’s place just a floor below their best friend’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you just move back?” Abby demanded, “Gods, it’s been decades.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not wanting his mate caught off guard or surprised if Percy was short, Orion sent a warning of their earlier conversation across their mating bond. He wasn’t surprised when that did nothing to dissuade his goat of a fae mate. Kendra Dumbledore might have called him the auguery of their family, but that was too good for what a determined, stubborn, irritating arse his lover could be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What for?” Percy asked, “The kids are in hand with you two and, as today demonstrated, your brother wants nothing to do with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look, Perce, I’m never going to be a Grindelwald fanboy, everyone knows this,” The fae started, “But he’s your husband. You two are going to have to talk eventually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And say what?” The vampire demanded, “I’ve never agreed with his politics and I’m not going to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think I’m asking you to? Me?” Abby set him a look, raising his eyebrows, “But, I don’t think he even agrees with what he did anymore. He’s stayed there because he doesn’t feel like you want him now and everyone can see how miserable you are without the bastard. Just admit that you’re still crazy about the son of a bitch and get him moved to house arrest here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought the point of this was to get me back in Europe,” The Director pointed out with a sad smile, trying to distract the dark fae with his sarcasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snorted, “I would love nothing more than for you to come back. Commute to work if you don’t want to let Tina take over. Flea would be ecstatic! James would explode into confetti. Gods know that boy worships the ground you walk on. More than anything though, I just want you to not be miserable anymore…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The empath fiddled with the Dumbledore heir ring on his middle finger, “Percy, I know why you left. I agree with you, he had to stop; more than anyone, I wanted him stopped. But, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>stop. He gave the wand up to Albus,” The wizard sighed, “Listen, I can’t imagine how you felt in that elevator today. And, I’m certainly not asking you to share with the class, I’m just saying think about it. You’re doing to him what Albus did to you today and that’s not right either… From what I gather even those two idiots talk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They do,” Percy confirmed quietly, “My magic’s linked to anything that goes on in Nurmengard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren of the trio was angry on his friend’s behalf. Everyone wanted to never let Percy forget who he married, well before Grindelwald ever rose to power, and held the vampire’s career hostage just like the Dark Lord had his spouse. Yet when the blasted public wanted the man contained they were more than happy to put that on the Director of Security for MACUSA, who didn’t even live or work on the same continent. Orion glared at his husband, not liking the hurt that flashed across their best friend’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth still pushed forward, “Do that then, if you’re not ready to see him… Just… Please don’t be miserable, especially when I know being with him is what you want. You left, you made your point, he stopped. There’s nothing wrong in getting back with him now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By that point they had arrived in the building and were outside the Black family’s apartment. The vampire Director stared up at the ceiling, “Maybe you’ve got a point. I still don’t know what to say to him though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion snorted where he was unlocking the door, “There’s always Tina’s suggestion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh,” Percy rolled his eyes, “That woman’s a menace. Good night, assholes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trudged up the stairs, his last words quiet, little more than a whisper, fond but distracted, as the Graves Lord was lost in his own head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two disappeared into their apartment after issuing farewells and Abby looked at his mate, “What did Tina suggest?” The siren just shared it through their mating bond, but the younger Dumbledore brother could feel his mate’s irritation with him. He huffed, “Someone had to say it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe the day your brother pulled his little schtick wasn’t the right time. You didn’t see Percy’s face when he just put his back to him like that,” Orion pointed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s been ridiculous since James was born,” he hissed at his husband, “Percy has wanted the blonde terror back for over a decade. If I’m the last one in this family willing to kick you idiots in the arse when you need it, so be it! But I will not apologize for that!” He spun and took off for the bedroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still irritated Orion called out, “Yeah, well maybe you should start with your brother, before you come for the rest of us!!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door slammed and he was never more tempted to go sleep in Graves’ spare bedroom. Instead, because he did not want to have to explain the contents of their argument, he pulled off his tie and shirt. That left him in only his white sleeveless undershirt as Orion got a drink before collapsing into his recliner. He had one arm thrown across his eyes, the other holding his drink, feet propped up, when he felt the warding magic on the apartment alert him to a fire call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren was just praying that it wasn’t the Ministry as he let the call come through, in no mood to have to floo across the damn Atlantic this late. He didn’t even bother to move his arm, if anyone didn’t like that he was relaxing at home, they could simply kiss his…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, don’t you look like a prize.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He recognized the voice and quickly sat up to greet his tattoo artist, Rhys Inkler. Orion couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, “What are you doing calling me so late, old man? How’s the baby?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one turning fifty, you old bugger! And she’s still not sleeping through the night; not sure I’m gonna make it, Ori,” Rhys disclosed, unabashedly observing the Black family and Slytherin crests that adorned each of the siren’s upper arms, making sure they were still in perfect condition. They were.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I remember those days,” He shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, speaking of kids, that’s kind of why I’m calling you,” Rhys told him. When all he got in response was a confused expression the man moved to continue quickly, “Your son just walked into Tattoo Artists here in Diagon Alley; trying to bribe me for a job. He’s got three other boys with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahh shit!” Orion complained, throwing his arm back over his face, “Damn it all and I can’t even be surprised; his uncle is out of the country.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The artist laughed, “Well, I told them I was going to make sure the gold they paid me was authentic. I didn’t want to tip them off that I knew you; I figured they’d just leave and get some hack job to do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are not wrong,” Orion said, listening to the shower running in the bedroom for a few seconds, “Go ahead and do it, Rhys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What!? Are you sure?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know them, but they will get it done one way or another. By a hack job or themselves,” Orion nodded, sure of his decision, “Go ahead. They’re all mine, you have my permission.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright man, as long as you consent,” He nodded, “They want a…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A lion, upper arm, where my crests are. Roaring, golden fur and red maned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at the man for a moment, “Okay… Maybe they wanted a lion for a while, but that’s too damn specific. Have you seen the drawing they brought me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, the picture is a copy of their uncle’s. They’re getting one just like his.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man snorted, “Fine, then. You coming to pick them up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, if they can get out, then they can get back in. They always manage,” Orion told him, “Do me a favor and let them think they got away with it, huh? No reason to get in trouble with the mate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough! Wouldn’t want Aberforth after my arse either,” Rhys admitted then cut the firecall off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion knew that he had until Albus got back to Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall was undoubtedly waiting on the boys and once the irritating redhead got back, she’d tell him what they got up to. The older fae would never risk not telling his brother what the boys did; then Abby would have a right fit. At least, if the boys kept their mouths shut about where, it wouldn’t be his arse getting chewed out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting and having a couple more drinks, the Black Lord thought about going upstairs and seeing Percy. He didn’t know if that would make things better or worse though. After debating for a few minutes, as the shower was still running, Orion decided to risk it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting a refill he moved upstairs, barefoot, to his best friend’s apartment. The warding magic automatically unlocked the door recognizing him and Orion slipped inside, worried Percy might have gone to bed after the taxing day. Instead, he found the Graves Lord sitting at the desk in his living room, crumpled balls of paper thrown all over the floor having been cast away, while Percy scribbled on his turul stationary. After a few moments the vampire also tossed aside the one he was working on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger lord did not have to ask what he was writing, “Struggling?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why the fuck is this so hard, Ori?” Percival demanded, sitting back harshly, index finger going over his lip as it always did when he was frustrated, “I mean, Abby’s not wrong. I am married to the son of a bitch! This shouldn’t be a Herculean task!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat on the sofa, legs extended before him, facing the Director, “What do you want to say to him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Genuine confusion, it was worse than Orion feared, “You know, how you have a conversation with anyone. You say what you want to say. What do you want to say to him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy stared at him for several minutes, just thinking about the question. He hadn’t talked to Gellert in so long and, before he’d brought Flea with him to the States, they’d had it out. There really was nothing left to say about what had happened then. Gellert had already begged him for forgiveness, given up all his political intentions, and even asked him not to leave. Percy had anyway, needing to be sure that the seer was really going to stop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was just the here and now, but he wasn’t sure what that looked like for them anymore. He was in the States, Flea was grown and finally had a son. James was between them and basically lived in Nurmengard when he wasn’t with Percy, but there was only so much they would be able to talk about in terms of his quidditch success.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the haplessness on his friend’s face, Orion sighed, “Maybe ask if he wants you to open the bond back up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to make the vampire startle. After he realized what his siren friend meant, the Director shook his head, “I never muted our bond.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not, I’m not your brother in law,” Percy told him tersely, “I left to prove a point, but I wasn’t going to let some mob show up on his doorstep and kill him either. If he ever needed me, I’d be there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you aren’t! I’m sorry, Perce, I didn’t mean…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s not you,” He moved to apologize, head cradled in his hands, “I’m sorry, this is harder than I thought it would be and I hate it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion waved him off, “Look, I know that he writes to Albus and he’s expressed how much he wants you back. He doesn’t seem to know that you’d be there if he needed you; maybe you should just tell him that. It’s a start.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the sour look that crossed Percy’s features, he raised an eyebrow, “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Black Lord thought back over what he just said and then chuckled, “Percy, they aren’t together. It’s just letters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire was grateful that he couldn’t blush because he probably would have looked like the Ilvermorny banners at that moment, “Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Positive!” Orion assured him, “Gellert isn’t going to be with anyone without your approval, especially Albus. He knows the two of you still haven’t spoken and you’re his husband. I swear on that, Perce. Albus is just one of the only people who write to him, along with Flea and Jamie, and Lady Bagshot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” the Graves accepted, staring at the blank stationary in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion spent the next several hours as an impartial sounding board as the other wizard painfully forged through a letter to his mate and husband. Thinking about the man downstairs, although they couldn’t get legally married because of Walburga, and the threat to Orion’s own magic if he broke the marriage contract, he felt himself melt toward his husband. Fiddling with the ring on his finger, symbolic though it may be, he still thought Abby should have given the vampire a day after what happened in the elevator. Then again, there was also the reality that they were going back to Europe at first light for work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth Dumbledore also was not a ‘beat around the bush’ sort of individual; there was a reason he called him a goat… Maybe that was what he should get the fae for Christmas, a little billy goat. If the little terror butted his mate in the arse a few times, maybe he’d slow down in the way he did it to other people. Probably not, but it was worth a shot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the blasted letter was finally as complete as Percival was going to get it, Orion felt the wards flare down stairs, as the man was sending it off, “Ahh Hel and Hekate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Percy asked, letting his owl, Carni, a Great Horned Owl, fly out the window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion rolled his eyes, “Okay, between us, the boys snuck out to get a tattoo. I’m guessing Albus went back tonight and had to come right back when he found out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does Abby know that you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hel is great and I’m not an idiot; absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Touche,” Percy said as his friend headed for the door, “Good luck with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s meet at seven for breakfast before we head back,” Orion said, already halfway out the door. He closed the door and turned, finding Aberforth at the top of the landing, undoubtedly coming to get him as he was sure the older fae asked to speak to both of them, “What now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was confused when Aberforth flinched, then he realized that the other wizard thought he was still pissed from their fight. Not wanting to keep fighting he quickly corrected him, “I felt Albus come in, I meant him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” There was relief in the other’s voice. Obviously Abby didn’t want to fight anymore either, “I don’t know yet… I should probably talk to Percy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s going to bed,” Orion told him. He saw hurt flash across the other’s face and, again, it occurred that he’d misstepped. Abby thought Percival had asked not to see him. Apparently he was off his game tonight and he needed to fix that before he got his own arse sold out about the tattoo, “Not that! He’s meeting us for breakfast. We just sent off his letter to Grindelwald.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he got was a pair of wide eyes, “Oh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, “Come on, let’s go see what Sirius has done this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abby smiled at him, “One of these days it’s going to be Reggie and he’s never going to let you live it down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re right,” Orion told him, “But, so far, a warm day in Helheim still seems more likely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Percy would say…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hell is scorching, yes, I’m well aware,” Orion beat him to the punchline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s only been in school for three weeks,” Aberforth complained, grabbing his mate’s hand now that he realized the man wasn’t still angry at him, “What could he possibly be doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s three more weeks than we got last year,” Orion reminded him. Albus had been on their doorstep just after the feast ended the boys’ third year; some welcoming prank that wound up with all the teachers, and the headmaster, doing an elaborate dance and resulted in the first day of classes being cancelled. Although Orion had sent the self proclaimed marauders one incensed howlder, Aberforth hadn’t been able to breathe at the thought of his son doing that to his uncle and the man’s staff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They entered the apartment and Orion quickly spotted the headmaster and his phoenix companion. He could only assume that was a faster means of travel than floo after a long day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus was sitting on the sofa awaiting them. The fae looked up and blushed but still greeted the siren, “Orion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so you do remember my name,” His brother in law didn’t miss a beat, “I was beginning to wonder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snickered, always delighted when anyone gave his brother a hard time. Especially when the genius had it coming. “I love you so much,” He reminded his husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” Albus said, embarrassment obvious, “I… panicked. I just… I didn’t know what to say.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lesson of the night seems to be that anything is better than silence,” Orion reclaimed his chair, pulling Abby down into his lap, “So, what did he do? Paint the Great Hall in hippogriff feathers? Declare his love for the werewolf in grandeur during Transfiguration? Put cretin gnomes in old Sluggy’s office?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth tried to hide his huffing laughter by hiding his face in Orion’s neck. Sirius did have an unbelievable amount of sexual tension with his sandy blonde friend and his mate had long predicted that the two would end up together. While the fae wasn’t so sure, as he could feel both’s strictly platonic emotions for one another, he was sure that they would be lifelong friends. He wouldn’t be surprised if their mates wound up sharing many traits with the marauder they weren’t mated to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus smiled. For all everyone complained about his twinkling eyes, his brother lit up like nothing he’d ever seen whenever the younger siren was around and no one complained when the dark Dumbledore twinkled. Still, he was happy for his brother. He knew the fae had stopped aging, worried about Orion’s youth when they first met, but he was hoping with the man turning fifty that they’d feel more on par with one another finally, “Nothing quite so impactful this time; although I’ve heard cretin gnomes are all the rage recently. They were caught sneaking out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay…” Aberforth was genuinely surprised. It wasn’t that sneaking out wasn’t bad, it was. The boys just got caught doing it so often, that it was usually just a firecall, not a home visit from his brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, not when I normally turn up,” Albus acknowledged, knowing he was never going to hear the end of this, “It’s what they were doing while they were gone that I thought you’d want to know about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, don’t leave me in suspense,” Abby instructed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They went and got a tattoo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth groaned, “Oh Hel, I can only imagine what they go too! Who the fuck gives fourteen year olds a tattoo? Would Rhys?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tattoo Artist doesn’t do minors without parental consent,” Orion told him without a moment’s hesitation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course they fucking don’t! What hack job would? What is wrong with people? Bloody absolute hell, those stubborn idiots! I am going to kick their…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both men just let him storm off into the office, undoubtedly going for a howler, to let his son have a piece of Abby’s mind. Orion waited until he could hear the man screaming into one of the red envelopes before turning back to his brother in law, “Did they get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A lion? Indeed. As a matter of fact, they mentioned where they got it too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bloody hell,” Orion cursed, now he was in trouble too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus chuckled, “That was a very… persuasive statement, but Rhys would never have done that unless you knew.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I knew,” Orion admitted, “We’d just had a row over the lift incident when he popped in and they were going to do it anyway, so…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fae flinched at the mention of their earlier altercation, even as the siren waved off his ending. Knowing he hadn’t handled that well, the oldest Dumbledore felt absolutely terrible. He had never known what to say to Percival Graves; he’d muted both of his mating bonds so very long ago. He didn’t know what to do or how to talk to the man; it’s not like you can just apologize for decades of elected isolation and expect the hurt it caused to go away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert said that the vampire still hadn’t reached out to him either. And Albus in no way wanted to get between the two husbands… Alright, that was a bad way to even think about that… But still, he wasn’t trying to make things more complicated between the pair. So, he wrote to his friend and heard about his heartache, but continued to avoid his other mate, even as he kept in contact with Flea and aided in raising the family’s youngest like James was another nephew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth stomped back into the room, red envelope securely in one hand, an owl in the other, “Anything else I need to add before I send this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Orion was surprised that his brother in law seemed to have zero interest in selling him out to his mate. He accepted the scarlet fae’s attempt at an apology, knowing the smoke would have to long clear between his friend and Grindelwald, before any of them would be crazy enough to try and put Percy and Albus in the same space again. So, once the howler was sent off to arrive with Hogwarts’ morning post, the Headmaster left quickly to go back and get some sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning Sirius and his friends endured the howler with pride, everyone in the Great Hall quickly becoming aware of exactly what they’d done and what their new brands were. Albus spotted his youngest nephew, along with Cissy, about to fall out of their seats, hysterical, while Severus didn’t bother suppressing a chroused eye roll with Lily Evans. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apparently Abby had come to be pissed at him once he’d left, because Albus got a howler as well. He and Minerva quickly dismissed everyone to their morning classes as the cat calls started toward the troublemakers, before Sirius could actually start a strip tease at breakfast. They both knew he would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was some surprise when, the next day, two more howlers arrived in the same vein as the first. Then it happened again the next day, and the next, and the next. By the second week of howlers coming every day, even Minnie was giving Albus sideways looks, that plainly cited where she thought Sirius got his dramatic tendencies. The older fae agreed with her silently; that Abby ever worried Sirius wouldn’t be his son was a damn joke! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, everyone got used to the new normal of Sirius Black’s dad bitching about him getting a tattoo at fourteen. It actually became a standard warning for if students forgot something, their last chance to run back to the dorms before they’d be late. Almost a month after the howlers started, Albus shared a relieved look with his nephew when the first morning arrived with only a regular letter at breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other boys looked almost disappointed, having enjoyed the creative lengths that Sirius’ dad went to as he came up with new ways to yell at his son for the same thing everyday, but James still leaned in to read over his friends’ shoulder. The quartet of Marauders were sitting at the Gryffindor table’s end, right below the instructors. From the black wax of the seal, rather than red, Albus was guessing Orion finally had enough of his husband’s antics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, despite many’s apparent disappointment, and all the money that was exchanging hands, soon it was time for all the kids to get moving. As the boys took off, he believed for Horace’s first class of the day with Slytherin, the Headmaster heard them talking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius was grinning bright like the sun, “Gotta love it when the old man puts his foot down in the right direction!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James smiled at him as he moved around the table, a bag slung over his shoulder, “And that would be any direction other than yours?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re damn straight!” Sirius said as they high fived, “Whoop!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sandy blonde next to the Black heir crossed his arms and mocked him, “I thought your father was persona non grata and you didn’t like him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Only every other week,” Sirius corrected the sarcastic werewolf, “Once you enter the shedevil’s domain he becomes an enemy of the state and should be treated as such!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As someone with an enemy of the state as a relative,” James put in, “That is offensive; your mother is worse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you telling?” Sirius asked, before snatching another donut and running off with James’ glasses, where the Potter heir had been finishing homework at breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arsehole, come back here!” James took off after his best friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus Lupin rolled his eyes at their antics, but ran after them for the door, “You’re both idiots!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys wait up,” Albus chuckled as Peter Pettigrew sprinted after his taller friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shared a grin with Minerva at the boys’ commentary before she took off for classes and he waited for the hall to clear out. He spotted Lily Evans meet up with Severus Snape and Narcissa Black at the door to leave for class; little Reggie looked to trail after them until they reached the stairs. He hoped that his nephew was alright, he hadn’t wanted to check in a third time and crowd the eleven year old; siblings being in different houses always struggled, especially during their first year.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he hadn’t really been surprised by the choice. Sirius took after Orion in appearance and charm, but modeled himself after Aberforth’s brashness. Reggie was the opposite, although maybe not with appearance. His little nephew shared the Dumbledore brothers’ joint hallow in his longing to shield others, while his model for dealing with their crazy family was his father through and through, subtlety and cunning to the end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once everyone had cleared out of the hall he moved back to his office to write several correspondences, but as the fae entered Fawkes was just coming in with a letter from Nurmengard. Albus struggled to bat down the surge of excitement that came with the raven seal, reminding himself that they were nothing more than best friends, against every insistence of the long muted bonds that he hadn’t acknowledged in all but seventy five years. And given who Gellert was married to…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>God, what in the hell was wrong with him? Because when he’d first gotten a letter from G after the lift, he’d been sure what it was about, and it wasn’t follow up on their discussion of how to remove that damned curse from his Defense position. Albus had been sure the Dark Lord was going to throttle him through the missive; actually, if Gellert wasn’t in prison, he’d assumed it would have been a howler. His first thought, almost a month ago, had been that the blonde siren was going to be having Flea bring him some of those after that mess.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then it hit him that he hadn’t even considered how Fleamont Potter would react to their encounter; let the howlers floweth forth. Despite the fact that he had raised Flea like his own once Gellert and his husband sent him to Hogwarts, the next generation had never ceased being protective of his father. Between knowing about the vampire Director’s struggle to the position during his bachelor years, the discrimination he still faced, and that brief stint as a prisoner of his husband, Albus couldn’t blame Flea. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not to mention the Headmaster acknowledged how very badly he’d messed up that scenario. He’d even ignored Orion! Bloody hell, what was wrong with him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why couldn’t he just speak and let the other man set the damn pace? Every single time he was in the same room as Percival Graves he swore to breaking the wheel; that he was going to say something to him. It always seemed like his next thought was as the vampire was walking away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert’s husband was the strongest magical presence he’d ever encountered, other than, maybe, the Liberator himself. The wizard ran the States like he was the one true king reborn, making every President’s term nominal at best, all because the people begged him not to leave. To top it all off Graves was still forty something and looked gorgeous in his suits, with his hair always slicked back perfect and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And, as Albus pinched the bridge of his nose, he reminded himself that it didn’t matter, because he wanted nothing to do with his mates romantically. He’d fucked up his family’s lives enough, managed to let his and Gellert’s tale get so twisted already, and there was no way that he was dragging Director Graves into his messes. The man already had a hard enough time with his career and the history of one mate. That’s why he was never going to deage, he’d decided; one lifetime was more than enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Opening that first letter, he was confused, then just surprised, when he discovered that the vampire hadn’t seemed to mention their encounter to Gellert at all. He had been telling the blonde idiot for years to just write to the man; his siren best friend confessed years ago that Graves never muted their bond. Gellert thinking that the Director didn’t want him anymore had been ridiculous since James was born, quite frankly. If the vampire wanted to move on from his mates, it was not like he didn’t have options and yet he never dated anyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reading through the letter, he’d smiled at the overall exuberance that Gellert exuded at his husband re-establishing contact with him. Although that same smile turned slightly devious when he recognized the panic in the siren when his friend pondered what to write back. He hadn’t dared to give feedback on that, but it warmed part of Albus to know that someone could still fluster Gellert Grindelwald. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, if the vampire was going to write Gellert anyway, why hadn’t Graves told him what happened? Albus knew that both his and the Director’s magics were linked to Nurmengard’s security, so the man clearly was aware of their communication. He probably didn’t think that Albus cared enough to even bring it up, so he didn’t either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire wouldn’t have cause to think anything else, that was for certain. He’d been muted towards Gellert since their last conversation after the fight with Abby and Arianna’s death. He hadn’t even reopened their bond during the twenty minute conversation they’d had when the siren ceased control of the Elder wand. And Albus had muted his connection to Percy when he finally heard that the vampire met up with Gellert first, calling it fate, not even a few years after Godric’s Hollow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Honestly, though, why Graves hadn’t told Gellert about the lift was a mystery and Albus hadn’t dared to bring it up. Instead they continued talking about how to remove that damn curse and discussed how James’ fourth year was going. His friend had been saying for the last two weeks that Albie should tell his brother off for his temper tantrum. G would be ecstatic to know that Orion had done it for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he was scanning the letter, the new arrival charm alerted him to an incoming student. With the briefest of glances, Albus spotted a flash of blood red hair and chuckled, “It’s only three weeks in and you’re bored already?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lily Evans was too advanced for her own good and tended to bounce between himself, Minerva, and Horace for entertainment. Actually, he was genuinely surprised the girl was here since she was supposed to be in potions at the moment. It wasn’t one of her subjects that typically couldn’t hold the girl’s interest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until a sob reached his ears that Albus abandoned the letter and, startled, gave the fourteen year old his full attention. Fawkes was already on her shoulder, trying to help, as tears poured from the little crimson haired girl’s eyes. Her shoulders were shaking and there was a piece of parchment clutched in her hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing he rushed over to her, leaning down to wipe the tears away, “Lily, what in the world happened, sweetheart?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hand shook as she extended the parchment to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking it, Albus’ breath caught.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Heritage Potion - September 21, 1974</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Brewer: Lily Jasmine Evans Dumbledore Black</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Status: Witch, Pureblood</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Father(s): Albus Dumbledore</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Carrier: Orion Black</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Mission of a Lifetime Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>July 30, 1995</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a good day in Malfoy Manor, as much as this gateway to Helheim had good days. Mostly it was good because the only resident who willingly claimed the last name had left on a two week business trip the previous Monday, leaving Draco to peacefully spend the time with his mother and sister. Capri had taken a special interest in his retelling of the TriWizard Tournament, although he could tell that his mum was on edge after the return of the Dark Lord, but he still wound up spinning the tale of the competition once a day, minimum, since his return.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No one in the house had addressed the other issue yet. Draco had been relieved to assure his friends of that a week into break, Harry having been more worried about his best friend going back into the home of someone he’d seen in the graveyard, then the Gryffindor had been about having to survive his muggle aunt and uncle. Lucius was simply gone a whole lot more than ever before and his mother seemed hyper aware as all get out.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She’d caught him using magic just a couple of days after returning here, fixing one of Capri’s toys that the two year old managed to break. Luckily he’d staved off the heartattack the woman almost had, thinking that he was about to be brought in for a ministry hearing, telling her that a seventeen year old friend had taken the tracking charms off his wand. It was the truth, but he didn’t think that telling her those friends had been the Weasley twins was going to help keep her calm.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Neither was telling her that he already knew Sirius Black was his biological father, or that he’d known since he was twelve… Or that Harry Potter was his best friend, along with Neville Longbottom... Or that they’d been hunting the Dark Lord’s horcruxes for years.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There were just some things his mother didn’t need to know at this juncture. Not until they broke into Gringotts and got Hufflepuff’s cup out.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco’s siren inheritance had come in at the start of June and, when he’d stepped off the train with sharpened facial features, slight stubble, and having missed out on the six foot mark by only a couple of inches, Narcissa Black Malfoy had frozen for the first time, her son suspected in her life. Lucius Malfoy, who had no creature inheritances, had scoffed and stalked off, but not his mother. She’d been crying as Draco was pulled into a tight embrace, and when his mother told him that he looked just like his father in a whisper, he was pleased to know who she was actually talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t all fun and games, of course. He hated seeing how afraid she was of Lucius Malfoy. The way his mother tensed every time a door opened, like she was terrified of who could be on the other side, it told Draco everything he needed to know about how things had been at the manor while he was safe in Hogwarts. While Harry had been worried about his friend coming back here, all Draco cared about was getting his mother and sister out; whatever he had to face to protect them was child’s play.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He knew if there was any way that their mastermind could make the plan happen faster, Harry would do so without hesitation. It was all for not, if their plan to break into Gringotts and get the cup out failed, because there would be no second chance. They had to be smart.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing what he and his friends had planned in a week hadn’t stopped the wheels in his mother’s head from turning, however. He could tell that she was making plans of her own. And he wasn’t sure what to do with that the day before Harry’s birthday. The band had agreed to stage their break in after the Potter heir came into his inheritance and had a little time for his magic to adjust, so seven days from today the plan would be hatched.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After putting his sister down for her midmorning nap, having been coerced into retelling her the story of The Three Brothers, he decided to go see what his mother in question was up to. When she wasn’t in the solar or her bedchambers, Draco finally found the blonde matriarch in the manor’s library. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>What she was working on, he honestly couldn’t say, but he strutted in and flung himself sideways in the black chair before her desk, “Hello, Mum.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re fifteen years old,” Narcissa told him, not looking up from whatever she was writing, “You could sit properly in the chair.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I could,” Draco agreed, “We both know I’m not going to.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As much as she tried to fight it, he caught the grin the Rosier heiress tried to hide, “Of course not. You love your rebellion.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His brow went up, “Yet you’ve never punished me for that, have you? Why is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Something in his tone finally pulled Narcissa’s attention upward, so she could tilt her head in inquiry, “You’ve never been deviant in public.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” It hit Draco that he was on thin ice; tickling that sleeping dragon Hogwarts warned about, “No, of course not. We couldn’t have that.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She gave him a hard look for a moment, but Draco grinned at her, and Narcissa finally dismissed the odd question as growing pains, “Is your sister asleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What story was it this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The Tale of the Three Brothers.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That earned another bristle from his mother, but she covered it well, “She’s obsessed with that story.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we are Peverells, aren’t we?” What was the matter with him? The words had barely left his mouth when Draco felt the need to slap himself. This vein of conversation was dangerous, he knew this!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa’s eyes shot up to him, but Draco’s face gave away nothing but genuine inquiry, so she shrugged and offered, “We’re of the lineage through the Black line. But we’re not the heirs to the legacy.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Draco allowed, though swallowing that lie knowing he was through Black tasted like bile, and quickly changed the subject, “What are you working on?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She huffed and glared at the paperwork before her, “It’s tax season.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh goody,” Draco muttered sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius Malfoy might be a decent politician, not that he could be considered any sort of decent as a person, but he was shit at numbers. So, when tax season came around through Ministry mandates every summer, it was always Narcissa that wound up making sure everyone’s finances were properly in order. It wasn’t just the Malfoy accounts that the woman had to worry about, but also the Rosier family accounts for which she was an heiress through her grandmother.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It never ends,” Narcissa muttered, “But, only the Lestrange finances are left now. Of course, those vaults just get worse every year. I’ve never known what to do with them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That got a reaction, as Draco’s entire body perked up in his seat, “What do you mean? You manage the Lestrange vaults?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well,” Narcissa sat back with a sigh, finger tracing over her lip, as she stared at the documents, “The Lestrange brothers had no other relatives. So, your aunt, Bellatrix, her next of kin had to take over the vaults when she was imprisoned.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You own the Lestrange vaults?” Draco was pretty sure that his heart was about to come out of his mouth while talking, it was so high in his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa shrugged, “I suppose so. But, I’ve never done anything with them. They just sit there collecting interest.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you access them?” Draco demanded, “Have you ever gone into them?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That family has nothing I’d be interested in,” She waved off his curiosity, swiping at her eyes where she’d been staring at the documents since breakfast. The truth was they were never a family she would have married into, if her life depended on it. Being forced to allow her contract to Lucius Malfoy to go into effect when Sirius was arrested had been bad enough.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He had never heard much about his Aunt Bellatrix, other than the fact that she was imprisoned. Although it was top secret from Lucius Malfoy, most of his mother's stories about her sisters featured only Andromeda Black. Draco had no idea that the imprisoned Death Eater, who he'd only been told was of high rank like Malfoy, had married into the Lestrange family.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco had the common sense to charge over and look at the list of vaults among his mother’s paperwork. There was no point in uprooting all of their plans, if the vault that the band needed wasn’t something that his mother could access; it was possible Voldemort had given the blasted cup to a member of the Lestrange line that was now dead. But, if his aunt had been a high ranking Death Eater then it was only logical to give a horcrux to her and, if so, that would mean it should have been something his mother could…</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There it was!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Narcissa demanded when her son charged over to rummage through all of her hard work.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco’s head was spinning. He couldn’t wait on this; the break in wasn’t even necessary. If his mother could get the cup out, then they just had to find the locket in one of the Black properties, and send Fawkes after the snake! Harry’s potion had finished brewing in Nurmengard before they went home for the summer, and while they all knew that the Potter heir taking it was a risk, Harry was hellbent to face that. He just didn’t want to do it until the others were destroyed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With an emergency meeting and a little luck, they could be rid of Voldie’s horcruxes before Harry got his mating dream at midnight!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They just had to throw all of their efforts into tracking the locket, wherever his Uncle Regulus put it. It was with one of the Black family house elves. If he could get his mother and sister out of here, Draco realized that his mother might have insight and be willing to help them on that front as well… If he told her the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Draco!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Get Capri and anything you can’t live without,” Draco instructed her, grabbing a blank piece of parchment and whistling for Saiph, his eagle owl, “We’re leaving.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you lost your mind?” Narcissa demanded. She’d never heard the commanding tone in Draco’s voice before, though it wasn’t totally unfamiliar. It had just been over a decade.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum, I can’t explain right now, but I will,” Draco turned to meet eyes with his mother and saw the moment that she realized how serious he was, “This is about keeping both of you safe and I need you to trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He bent over to scribble something on a note as Saiph came flying in. Unable to believe what her son had just instructed her to do, Narcissa stared down at him as he bent over the desk to write, and then leaned forward to see what he was writing.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Flame and Fire,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Get Green Thumb, I’ll get the Kitty. Emergency band practice today!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>White Wolf</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Draco…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum,” He looked up at her as he gave the note to Saiph without putting it in an envelope, “I know what I’m doing. Get Capri.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you ask me to do that?” Narcissa demanded, pushing away from the desk, “You come in, asking strange questions, and then start poking around the Lestrange family! Do you know what they’re capable of?! What is happening?!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco sighed and perched on the desk, “You know we can’t talk here. We never could.” She didn’t object to the statement, but he could see the hesitancy lingering in her eyes, “Would it make any difference if I said that I knew Lucius Malfoy wasn’t my father? And I know who is?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa couldn’t breathe. She looked away from Draco, hand going to grip her grandmother’s rose necklace that she hadn’t taken off since Vinda Rosier passed away in Nurmengard over a decade ago. When she looked back at her son, it seemed impossible how calm he was, “How? When? Why didn’t you…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum,” Draco’s voice was deeper now, commanding as it had been before, and it was so much like Sirius that she couldn’t look away as he cut off her stammering, “I know what I’m doing. Trust me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa gave him a long and hard look for a few more moments. Finally she nodded her assent and turned away.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take more than a breath more for the Slytherin in his mother to come out and she nodded, before turning to leave the room and retrieve her daughter without looking back. Draco opened the chest with the vault keys, pulling the Rosier and Lestrange keys to go with them. He left the Malfoy key and sent the crate soaring back to its usual place in a cabinet on the far side of the library.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He reorganized the tax paperwork, stacking the finished Malfoy and Rosier papers on one side, and leaving the unfinished Lestrange taxes in the middle of the desk. Then he crossed the room to the small cabinet where all of the keys to Malfoy properties around the world were kept and pulled out the ornate silver key to the townhouse in Paris, throwing it into a vase ten feet away. His mother always took her children for a week long trip to Paris for shopping every summer; if Lucius Malfoy came back early or on time, and they hadn’t made a move to reveal his mother’s departure, then it would look like they were simply on their usual trip. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It would buy them the rest of the week or an extra one, either way, should they need it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was absolutely nothing in his room in Malfoy Manor that he needed to go with him. His owl was out of here and his wand on his person; his ‘stepfather’ didn’t exactly have him getting attached to much in these parts. Draco took one private moment, as he left the library, to give the place a farewell salute, but that was all the energy he’d waste on anything associated with the Malfoy name.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Jogging to his sister’s room, he found his mother there. Given how quickly he’d staged the library, he highly doubted that, much like himself, his mother had needed to collect anything in the manor. She was, however, packing a small bag for Capri and checking everything for tracking charms as she did, Draco was relieved to see.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Your brother is taking us on a trip,” His mother supplied to the two year old.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Capri noticed him coming in, “Where we going, Dray?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a surprise,” Draco told her, catching the little girl as she flew into his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa looked around the space, but she couldn’t think of anything else. A few changes of clothes and the toys Capri would go nuts without; other than that anything else could be replaced. She nodded to let her son know that they were ready.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You can tell me!” Capri insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Draco told her, moving toward his mother and casting a spell to look for tracking on the only jewelry the woman wore. Both her grandmother’s necklace and wedding rings had tracers on them, the realization of which made her eyes go wide.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The tracer on the necklace was low grade and he was able to remove it quickly with a quick counter, much to Narcissa’s delight. Even she could tell that the spell on her rings was, although subtle, something that would be much harder to remove, “I have no attachment to them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Draco could easily believe that, “Give them to me. I know the perfect place for them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>For the moment he put both rings in his pocket to dispose of later.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Draco…” Narcissa didn’t know what she wanted to say. Something to express how grown up, how smart, she realized her son was, but there didn’t seem to be words in existence. Of course, she’d never thought Draco stupid, but to know that he’d known for some amount of time and never once had she suspected before today; it was equal parts shocking and heartwarming.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco looked up, thinking he’d have to encourage his mother some more. Keep telling her that he had this under control. Instead, he found a very different look in her eye when he glanced up and he smiled at her, “I know, Mum. Come on.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Capri demanded, having picked up on the sentimental moment.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What part of surprise don’t you understand?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Their conversation went much the same all the way out of Malfoy Manor. The apparition room tracked where everyone went, so they moved past the grounds and out the main gate. Capri forgot their moment quickly and became obsessed with the surprise once more.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Go to the alley entrance to Diagon Alley,” Draco instructed his mother once they were ready.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa followed her children, one hand clutching the small bag, and the other clutching her grandmother’s necklace. She only thought she was going to throw up before the tugging sensation lit in her gut and when they landed pressing her back to the brick wall of the alley was all the maiden Black could manage. Her eyes sought out Draco and Capri, even as she tried to force a deep breath to calm herself, and they had both landed in perfect condition.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You alright?” Draco asked. The hand he wasn’t using to hold his sister moving to grip his mother’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” She got out after a moment, standing up.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” The younger Slytherin allowed and pointed to his mother’s person, “Give me your robe.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Slipping out of the simple black day robe that she’d been wearing, Narcissa handed it over and then took Capri when her son handed the girl to her. Draco slipped out of his own robe and threw both over his arm, then gestured for the bag, before nodding toward the open end of the alley, “And off we go.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her surprise was palpable. When in the gods names had her son been in the muggle world? It certainly hadn’t been with her! Lucius would have never allowed it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Dray!” Capri demanded, “You can tell me! I’m your favoritest sister!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The young siren laughed, “Are you now? And why is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I am!” The toddler demanded, “I am your only sister.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t give me a lot of options does it?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Dray!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, I suppose I can tell you,” Draco finally gave in as they rounded onto the block, “We’re going to meet some friends of mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Blaise?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, they aren’t in Slytherin with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they Ravenclaws?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hufflepuffs?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Capri gasped and whispered, “Gryffindors?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa laughed and scolded her, “It’s not a bad word, Capricornia.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The toddler looked at both of them in shock, “Since when does Dray hang out with Gryffindors?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her brother thought about it and decided to be honest, “Well, we’ve been friends since I was twelve.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa didn’t have to ask. She knew instantly that was when her son had found out that Sirius was his father. It was still surprising, after all, the man hadn’t even broken out of prison at that time. She wondered if his friends knew he was the fugitive’s son as well.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The rogue of the Black family had closed their mating bond down before he went to Azkaban. While she’d always suspected that he was incapable of betraying James Potter, Narcissa never knew what happened, and, honestly, it was hard to imagine what Gryffindors would willingly accept the son of Sirius Black into their confidence, particularly for Draco to be willing to run to them. She couldn’t even blame twelve year olds for struggling to accept the son of a known traitor to their house, especially when Harry Potter, whose parents had died as a result, was reigning over Gryffindor currently.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Severus, Draco's own godfather, didn't know that there was a chance the person who betrayed his mates was possibly the blonde boy's father, due to his position as a spy. If she hadn't been able to tell him, then there was certainly no way she'd risked telling anyone else. No one but Lily and the Marauders had known that she and Sirius were trying to conceive in secret to void her magical marriage contract to Lucius. Her son must have truly found friends that were as tight knit as the Marauders and herself, Lily, and Severus had been in school; she hoped so.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Even being on this block was making her queasy and she was anxious to pass it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco made quickly for the apartment building when it came into sight. He started up the stairs and heard his mother’s startled gasp behind him, but he was already going through the door and didn’t stop. They were simply too close for him to let her halt now.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As the front door of the building flew shut behind him, the sound of his mother’s heels scurrying up the steps finally sounded, and Draco breathed a sigh of relief. The door opened and closed behind him once more, but the soon to be fifth year was already halfway up the stairs toward the second floor, forcing his mother to continue following and all but confirming where they were heading. He pulled the gold key that hadn’t left the tether around his neck since their final band practice after the graveyard.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know this place?” </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The waver in his mother’s voice all but broke him. At the same time, Draco was too close to give up now, when safety was a turned key away, “Come inside and I’ll tell you anything that you want to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He let the door swing open and stepped inside. A quick glance assured him that they were the first to arrive; he’d expected as much but hadn’t wanted to hope. Saiph was good, but, luckily enough, he wasn’t that good. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Looking back at his mother, one hand still gripping the inside of the open door’s knob, he took her in. She was frozen with a tight grip on Capri and her eyes were darting back and forth, between her son and the far wall of the apartment. Draco took a deep breath and waited for his mother to meet his gaze, “There isn’t anyone here, Mum. It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Unaware of her mother’s state of mind, Capri started pushing to get down. She all but fell away from Narcissa’s arms and happily skipped into the apartment, looking around before glancing up at Draco, “I thought we were meeting your friends?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The teenager smiled down at her, “We are! They’ll be here later. I’m going to have to go and get one of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Capri muttered, put out.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you explore until they get here?” Draco suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As his sister disappeared to do just that, Draco turned back to his mother, extending his hand out to her. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The truth was that he hadn’t known if his mother had ever been here, but it did make sense. He and Harry didn’t know details, only that James Potter bought this apartment for when the Marauders wanted to escape Hogwarts, as well as when they first graduated. His mother and Sirius Black would have found out that they were mates when they were fifteen and probably wound up here, especially when Walburga Black and her brother, Cygnus, threw everything into keeping them apart.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa didn’t know what finally did it. Her thoughts hadn’t been racing once that door opened, instead she had gone blank. But, something turned back on when her son reached for her, her son with Sirius, and she finally moved to take his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He let her go with a light squeeze and moved to shut the door. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Looking around was like going back in time. All of their pictures were still on the wall; Sirius and her going to the movies for the first time with James and Lily, Remus recovering from full moons on the balcony, and even her and Lily’s first sonograms that had been framed together, because no one else had been allowed to know that she and Sirius were trying, as her father would have killed her. Someone had clearly been here though, because every picture of Peter was gone from the walls and replaced with something else.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stepping closer, she realized that they were pictures of Draco. He wasn’t alone in any of them though. No, there were two redheads and two dark haired teens in most of the photos; the five of them almost constantly wearing matching grins that screamed of getting to trouble. She didn’t know who the identical scarlet teens were, though they were tall and very handsome. Nor could she tell who the pale boy was, with his hazel eyes and charming smile. But the last of the group, there could be no doubt.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He was James Potter incarnate. Dark brown skin, curly hair that was black as night, and a grin that could knock panties off a mile away; they all would have been indicators enough. Then she spotted his emerald green eyes and fought not to reel back, because it was like her and Sev’s best friend looking back at her once more.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She spun on her son, who had finally succumbed to some form of sheepishness, his eyes downcast and hands going into his pockets. He must have sensed her movement, because silver eyes glanced up at her from underneath white eyelashes. Narcissa demanded harshly, “Explain yourself!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco glanced down the hall, happy to see that Capri had disappeared into his bedroom, previously his father’s bedroom, up the hall. Moving to take the black leather recliner that faced his mother, Draco pondered how to sum up the last three years. She would see if his sister started coming back this way since she was facing the hall.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With a shrug he started, “I found out that Sirius Black was my father second year, when we brewed heritage potions. Uncle Sev isn’t the most emotionally adept and didn’t notice my upset when I ran out, but Harry did. He tracked me down in the nearest bathroom, having found the Weasley twins on the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa’s arms crossed as she tried to listen with an open mind, but in what world would her twelve year old find out that his father was an imprisoned murderer and not contact her?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He got me to confess; Harry’s persuasive like that,” Draco grinned, glancing down to clean his thumb nail idoly, “The twins had to tell him about Black’s betrayal, no one else ever had. But, he didn’t just leave me there. We became best friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His hands went into the air at her interruption, “I didn’t take notes, Mother! It happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me something!” Her tone all but begged.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco sighed and tried to put it gently, “He was raised in the muggle world, very different from me, but the people he grew up with weren’t great to him,” They met eyes and Narcissa realized what he was trying to imply, “We bonded over similar... growing pains.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She dropped into the overly large, purple fabric chair in the corner across the room from him, hands flying up to hide her face. She fought to not think about what she and Draco had endured before he went to school, or what she had after. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought crept up of how this was the only chair that Lily found comfortable while pregnant, but Narcissa could only handle one crisis at a time and shoved it away. Finally she dropped one hand, though the other remained near her mouth; Cissy would have been biting at her thumb, if her Grandma Vinda hadn’t taught her it was a bad habit, “Keep going.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t know it, but Lucius Malfoy let one of Voldemort’s horcruxes loose in Hogwarts through Ginny Weasley,” Draco tried to surmise as best he could having not been there, “Harry destroyed it and saved Gin, but it let us know that they existed. If he made one, we guessed that he made more.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa flinched at what the man her father married her too was capable of.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, low and behold, Harry discovered that my father was innocent during our third year,” Draco wasn’t surprised when his mother, who had been staring off into space, jerked back to look at him at the admission, “Peter Pettigrew killed those muggles and used his animagus form to escape after betraying the Potters. Then, he got away our third year when Professor Lupin changed during a full moon, and Harry helped his godfather escape before they could…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say it,” The older Slytherin commanded, though she added on a desperate, “Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Never let it be said Draco couldn’t take a hint, as he promptly moved on, “You know what happened at the end of last year, even if we haven’t talked about it. We’ve been hunting his horcruxes throughout third year and this last,” He pointed to the mantle over the fireplace, where the ring and diadem sat destroyed, “Dumbledore took that first one from second year, but we found two more. And we know what the rest are, and suspect locations on two.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa put it together, “The Lestrange Vault.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“There was a plan to break into Gringotts and get one of them out,” Draco admitted, “But I think I found an easier way.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no business near such dark artifacts!” Narcissa screeched, shooting up to pace the floor, “This is the work of fully trained aurors, not fifteen year olds!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped and looked at him. That same look had returned to his eyes that got her here. It was like looking at Sirius once he’d made up his mind to follow James into danger; there was no stopping him. Narcissa knew that much, even if she didn't like it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“If you don’t want to help me, I won’t ask you to,” Draco didn’t look away as he continued, “But we are going to do this. We have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No one has ever gotten anything out of that bank that wasn’t theirs!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help it, Draco grinned up at her, “We won’t object to being the first.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her hand found her temple and Narcissa tried to remind herself to breathe. But, her fifteen year old had just confessed to hunting horcruxes and was going to break into Gringotts if she didn’t help him! She was on the run from a man that had them living in terror for fifteen years, because her magic was tied to him through the marriage contract without Sirius to claim her ‘illegitimate’ son, and now a daughter.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>This could not be happening.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fifteen years ago, paternity spells couldn’t be done until a baby was two years old, just like inheritance tests,” Narcissa told him, knowing that no matter what, Draco deserved an explanation, “My father forced me into a marriage contract with Lucius Malfoy, trying to breed the impure siren magic out of the Black line. Your father and I were trying for you, but… I had to let the marriage contract go into effect, Draco. My magic, and therefore my life, was on the line.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Malfoy had marital rights,” Draco said what his mother shouldn’t have to.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Only once, but with the time, he easily thought,” Narcissa shuddered, “But, I’d taken so many potions to prevent pregnancy after that night… Nothing’s perfect, but the chances were low. Your father and I started trying right after and…” She laughed bitterly, “We were months away from having your paternity tested and the marriage annulled safely, but then he was arrested.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Though he didn’t want to, Draco confessed, standing to embrace his mother, “I thought that was what happened. After we all put our heads together surrounding the timing.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa clung to him for several long minutes, before finally assenting, “I will help you. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, but Dray, you have to be smart. You have to know what you’re doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I do,” The young man assured her, “And if I don’t, Harry will. He’s a bloody genius; I can’t wait for you to meet him.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His mother just kissed his forehead, “I can’t either.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco pulled away quickly and glanced up the hall, but he could hear his sister still giggling in the back rooms. He wandered over to the coat closet and pulled on a leather jacket, one of nine inside; his jacket had a wolf outline stitched on the back in white, “I’ll be back with Harry. The only people who can get in are me, Harry, Neville, or the twins.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you changed the locks?” Narcissa asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that I know of, but you’d have to ask Harry.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She made a mental note to do just that. Narcissa wanted to know if Sirius and Remus could still get inside as well, because, after what she’d learned, if they could, so could Peter. If that bastard dared to come within a mile of her children after what he’d caused, the Slytherin in Cissy would have no problem flaying him alive.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco grabbed a second jacket out of the closet, before giving his mother a kiss on the cheek, and heading out the door to go collect Harry. The leader of their band had given him the address of his aunt and uncle in Little Whining and told him in case of emergency to send a patronus from the nearby park, so that was where the blonde headed. He was far from adapted to the muggle world, but he knew enough to hide the patronus from non-magical eyes and sit his arse on the nearest swing.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Conjuring a glowing wolf, Draco spoke into it, before he did just that, “Emergency band practice. Big news. I'm here waiting."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was just poor timing that the black clouds that had encased the skies all morning decided to crack open while he was waiting. Of course, no self respecting British person balked at a little rain and his jacket was magically protected, so Draco threw his arms wide and swung for a few minutes. The droplets that soaked through everything but his jacket were refreshing, honestly.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When he had been twelve and crying on the bathroom floor, all Draco had been able to see was the tragedy that his family caused Harry’s. Now, knowing the whole truth, despite all of the years that it had taken to piece it together, it was clear that Pettigrew had destroyed both his and Harry’s families. They should have grown up brothers and, instead, spent a year being rivals, only bonding after both realized that they’d been raised by monsters of the same name, but different breeds.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was no doubt that Draco could feel it; this was their chance. They could end this, render Voldemort nothing but a tosser who’d been stupid enough to split his soul, from which their magic came, before Harry turned fifteen at midnight tonight. No matter what the wizarding world wanted to believe, it was hard to argue with the presence of a body, dead or alive.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Glancing at his watch, Draco realized that it was just after noon. That meant that they had twelve hours to remove the cup from Gringotts, track the locket, send Fawkes after Nagini, and have Harry take his potion. The largest obstacle wasn’t that they didn’t know precisely where the locket was, other than in one of the Black properties. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No, their largest obstacle was that potion of Harry’s, as even the Potter heir admitted that he would have to die to be rid of the horcrux. Harry insisted that he should wake up with no more effects than a bad case of nausea. Should and would were two very different things though.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco wasn’t sure that he could think about that part too much. Harry was the genius of their outfit; the mastermind of their triumph. He wasn’t ready to think of a world without the Gryffindor in it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What is going on?” Thin air demanded, before the cloak was pulled away to reveal Harry standing two feet in front of him, "You alright?"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry caught the jacket that his best friend tossed to him, stuffing the cloak inside an interior pocket, while Draco inspected him.The Potter heir still looked exactly like he had when they got off the train, and, of course he did, because physical changes didn’t occur until after someone came into their full siren inheritance. But, glamours were a powerful thing and Draco knew better than most the sort of damage Harry might have endured in the last couple weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Couldn't be better. What about you?"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"No damage. What the bloody hell is going on?"</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco was relieved and he offered without preamble, “My mother owns the Lestrange vault.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked at his best friend.for a moment, “You’re kidding me.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Not in the slightest,” Draco pushed forward, “And if anyone knows where my uncle would have hidden that locket…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s your mother,” Harry nodded, before his face broke into a grin and he cheered loudly for the world to see.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco joined him and the two wound up in a tight embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, this is great,” Harry ran a hand through his dark curls, “Do we need to get her out of Malfoy Manor?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. She’s already at the apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Even better, let’s go!” Harry started out of the park, "I've got to go back and get Iggy. Then we're out of here."</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“One thing first!” Draco pulled out his mother’s wedding rings, “Malfoy had tracking charms on them. I had the perfect idea of where to put them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry looked at the wedding rings and tried to think of where Draco would want to leave something that could be tracked by Death Eaters in the middle of a muggle neighborhood. The simple answer struck him after just a moment, “That’s vicious.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco demanded, “But how guilty would you really feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That earned him a snort, “Fair enough. Give them here.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing that the Dursley’s next door neighbors were on vacation at the moment, Harry happily stationed Draco on their front porch swing to wait for him, knowing that even Mrs. Figg wouldn’t spot him in the downpour. He donned the cloak once more, not in the mood to deal with the Dursleys when he was so close to freedom. Once the horcruxes were destroyed and Voldemort was rendered unable to come back to life, then there was no longer a reason for anyone to send him back here.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, the thought also struck him that once all the horcruxes were destroyed, Harry wouldn’t have an excuse to avoid his family anymore either. Other than his own pride, as it were. And that was still burnt.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He shook the thought off though, wanting to deal with one issue at a time.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The first thing Harry did was drop Narcissa… Black, Malfoy… He wasn’t honestly sure what to call Draco’s mother. Either way, he dropped the wedding rings to the floor and kicked them under the inn table in the entryway, before moving quickly up the stairs. Rushing into his room, Harry shrunk his trunk and threw it into the interior pocket of his jacket.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Popping the window open, he let Hedwig free with a quick kiss to her cranium, “I’ll see you at the apartment, girl. Be safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With a hoot she was off and Harry quickly moved to follow her. The invisibility cloak was sopping wet, but Harry flung it on anyway, quickly moving back down the stairs, and out the door once more. Running for the neighbor’s porch, he removed the cloak and put his hallow into the interior pocket of his jacket with his trunk.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry appeared back before him and Draco grinned, “Ready?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been ready since the day I got dumped here,” Harry huffed, “Let’s get to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco disappeared with a crack, glad to leave the area where his best friend had suffered so much abuse, with as little trouble as he’d arrived to. For just a split moment, Harry gazed back over to the Dursley house and just took it in. He’d labored in that garden and around that house, taken beatings and earned scars that would make Voldemort cringe, and all because his grandfather lost faith in the Black family when he thought Sirius betrayed the family.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In the moment, Harry could admit that he wanted his magical family to acknowledge him, despite the horrors he’d faced with the Dursleys. Although he was terrified of what powerful wizards his grandfathers were and what they were capable of, after surviving his muggle relatives, their recognition of him was something he craved. While Percival Graves traded letters with him from the States, and Harry snuck out to see the man’s husband in Nurmengard, hunting the horcruxes meant keeping both at arms length. Then on his mom’s side of the family, well, Aberforth Dumbledore only knew that Harry snuck to his bar every Wednesday since his second year, and Albus Dumbledore hadn’t acknowledged his relation to Harry at all. If the band could get this right, the Boy Who Lived hoped beyond all hope that he could finally make them acknowledge him and what he was truly capable of.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Refusing to carry the Dursleys with him anywhere, Harry saluted the house before apparating to the alley nearest the apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco was waiting and both teenagers happily made a run for the building’s entryway. Soaked to the bone and not wanting to leave the floor soaked in their wake, both used drying spells to put themselves to rights, and Harry endured Draco taking a moment to readjust the blue shirt his best friend was wearing. It didn’t matter much, as he would change clothes before any of them went anywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Running a hand through his hair, Harry groaned when it was obvious that the drying spells made the curly mess extra voluminous. To his credit, the blonde Slytherin moved to try and help somehow, but Harry waved him off, “There is nothing to be done about it. Let’s just get upstairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I summoned the twins and Neville,” Draco told him, “I think they’ll be here by now. So long as Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Longbottom didn’t catch them sneaking out.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“This is amazing. If your mother can identify that house elf…” Harry trailed off as they moved up the stairs, glancing in his friend’s direction, “Have you asked her?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Draco admitted, “I heard Lestrange vault and went into evacuation mode.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Where is Malfoy?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Two week business trip. He’s supposed to be back a week from today,” Draco shrugged, “I’m honestly not sure if that’s Ministry related or…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The implication was obvious and Harry nodded, “How did you stage it?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mum always takes us to Paris for a week. If he comes back early because it’s an alternative job, then we’ve got a week, or two if he comes back on time.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Harry took his key to the Marauder’s apartment, his father's letter transfiguring into the key, and unlocked the door.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The scene when they arrived was certainly pleasant enough. Capricornia was in the living room, her mop of blonde curls flyins as she chased after a bright orange fox, while a matching creature was held tight in one arm, though it was almost too big for her toddler arms to keep hold of. Neville was standing at the kitchen counter, talking to a beautiful blonde woman who would have had to be Draco’s mother, even if there were twenty other women standing in the apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She had clearly passed her white blonde locks onto both of her children. Narcissa Black was still a knockout, although Harry would never say that in his godfather’s presence unless he wanted to rib the man. Her black slacks would be considered all business in the muggle world and her periwinkle blouse reminded Harry of Hermione’s dress for the Yule Ball.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The woman was older now, than in the pictures that were scattered across the apartment. Her age in no way took away from her attractiveness though. He caught some of her conversation with Neville before any of the occupants noticed their arrival.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...reacher.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Kreacher?” Neville asked.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he was my Aunt Walburga’s house elf,” She was telling the Longbottom heir with a shudder, “Horrible woman. Forced my Uncle Orion into a marriage contract with her, with their parents’ blessing. He restricted her as much as possible after the old goats had the decency to die, but when he wanted kids and his mate couldn’t… Anyway, she controlled his boys fifty percent of the time that they weren’t in school, so he had to put up with her. Kreacher was her house elf.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have any idea where he’d be located?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned at his fellow Gryffindor already being on the case. Bless Neville’s heart, if he wasn’t the Remus of their little band, the Boy Who Lived would give up every Knut to his name. She was about to answer, but Draco closed the door behind him and drew everyone’s attention to their arrival.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The woman gasped at the sight of him, but Harry didn’t even look up to see her reaction. Most people who knew his father reacted that way; it wasn’t anything new.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No, his vision was cast downward to Draco’s little sister. The noise had caused Fred to stop running, giving the toddler the chance to scoop him up in her other tiny arm. That left both twins dangling in her grasp, their hind legs only a centimeter from dragging the floor in their animagus forms.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Capri squealed, attempting to lift her bounty for her brother’s inspection, although all she managed was to hold the twins tighter as she showed them off, “Look Dray!! Look!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I see them,” Draco shrugged out of his coat, putting it back in the closet, “They’re probably rabid.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Fred growled at him from the little girl’s hold.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cissy moved to scold her daughter, realizing that she’d actually managed to catch the twins, “Capri! Put Fred and George down this instant!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The girl followed her mother’s order, although she looked rather put out about it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco smiled and reached for his little sister, who easily fell into his hold. He lifted her up and turned her toward Harry, “They aren’t that interesting anyway, kiddo. Come here and meet my friend. Capri, this is Harry. Harry, Capri.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello Capri,” Harry offered, turned to face the little girl.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa was far from stupid. There were three old jackets in that closet, emblazoned with a stag, werewolf, and dog; she could only suppose that the rat had been destroyed viciously and she agreed with that fate. She’d taken a look before the other boys arrived and found a bear on one of the three new jackets, and foxes on the other two. Seeing what Fred and George could do just confirmed her theory.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So, seeing the lion outline formed in gold, stitched on the back of Harry’s jacket, she put her final question about the boy’s forms to rest. Certainly Albus Dumbledore was tickled pink at his grandson's animagus form. She couldn’t wait to see Draco’s, but there was also a part of her, having gotten confirmation that Sirius was innocent, that knew her mate should be the first of them to see it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In another life, it would have been the ultimate father and son moment. Hopefully, in this one, it would be a fabulous start to their relationship. Gods willing.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi,” Capri offered, bashful suddenly as she took Harry in, after a moment she grinned at him, “You’re very pretty.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed, sure it was the excess siren magic building in his system, getting ready to form into a mating bond and give him full access to that inheritance at midnight, but her expression of it was adorable, “Thank you. You’re very pretty too, just like your mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The little toddler beamed at that, but then got distracted when Fred and George changed back into their human forms.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa let her daughter fall into conversation with the Weasleys, moving over to take in Lily’s little boy. He looked so much like James it was haunting, but as he moved closer so that Draco could introduce them, her son leaving his sister to one of the twins, Cissy tried to remind herself that if the boys had gotten this far, then Harry clearly took after his mother. It wouldn’t do to treat him like anything short of the genius Draco claimed he was, if that was the case.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Harry.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, this is my mother, Narcissa,” Draco offered, motioning for Harry’s jacket, which the Gryffindor quickly handed over.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nice to finally meet you, Lady…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He trailed off and Narcissa gave a delicate snort, “You know, I’m not sure at the moment either. Just call me Cissy, it’ll make everyone’s lives a little easier.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry stepped closer to her, pulling the witch in for a gentle hug, “Thank you for coming here. I know it must have been the shock of a lifetime.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was said with such genuine warmth and concern, the maternal side of Narcissa finally cracked. She clung to Lily’s son, unable to believe that he’d been running around, hunting horcruxes, and not only was the woman’s genius father unaware, according to Neville, but the powerhouses on James’ side of the family had been content to think the Headmaster had things under control by himself. She’d worshipped the ground Albus Dumbledore walked on in school too, but he was still just a wizard!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You are all still in school!” Narcissa told him, waving off the twins, who’d already announced that they may not go back, “Some exceptions, I know! But…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry felt her take a deep breath and start to pull away from him. He let her go, hands slipping into the pockets of his ripped jeans, at least having the common decency to look bashful at this entire operation. There had never been any doubts that whatever adults discovered them would have a conniption.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The witch sighed, “I’ve already told Draco that I’ll help anyway that I can, but if any of you get hurt, that’s on me. That can’t happen and if I knew how to get in contact with your godfather, or Remus, or even your grandfather… I’m just saying that I’d call in as much help as I could possibly get you.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We are going to be safe,” Harry assured her, “Do you know where this house elf, Kreacher, would be?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cissy scoffed, “The primary Black family home was the only one Walburga had access to, or was allowed in, once Orion became the head of the family. It’s right around the corner, Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Gods, if your godfather knew I was sending you there, he’d absolutely never forgive me!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The woman didn’t notice both twins perk up and share a look, but Harry certainly did and demanded, “What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We know that place,” Fred said, “It’s where Dumbledore is hosting the Order.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The Order of the Phoenix? It’s been reconvened?” Narcissa gasped out, then it struck her and she shrugged, “Of course it has. Obviously! I mean… He’s back and…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this?” Harry demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a team, your parents were a part of it,” Narcissa was confused, “Has your grandfather never told you about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry shook his head, but he didn’t offer that Albus Dumbledore had ignored him as family, thinking to protect him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa filled in some of the blanks herself with a shrug, “Of course not, he’d want to protect you from having knowledge of it. Well, it was a group of individuals dedicated to stopping the Dark Lord. All the Marauders and your mother were members. I couldn’t join because of my contract to Lucius, but, had I been able to annul it, I had an invitation waiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would they be housing the Order there?” Harry asked her, before shooting Draco a look, “Got the fountain of knowledge sitting at home and you never realized it?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco rolled his eyes at the Gryffindor, “Cut me some slack; the child was shocked I even had friends in your house. It’s not like I’ve been able to ask this stuff before!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She grinned at their bickering, the pair sounding just like James and Sirius when they were hot on a case in the auror corps; before Jamie transferred to the States, of course, “Well, my Uncle Orion had that place warded out the wazoo before he died. I think it had something to do with my cousin, Reggie, but I’ve never been sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She might not have been sure, but the five teenagers certainly shared a look.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He had no interest in playing games with their new ally, so Harry quickly informed her, “I don’t know what the circumstances of Regulus Black’s joining the Death Eaters were, but it’s for certain that he defected from them. He got the chance and gave one of…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That much she knows,” Neville offered, “We were talking about it before you got here.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie got the locket out of that cave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes,” Harry confirmed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa was shocked, as the Longbottom heir only talked about their experiences at the cave and Harry’s vision that it was given to a Black family house elf. The reminder made her fight a grin, only able to imagine how ecstatic Gellert Grindelwald was that his great-grandson was a seer too. Her Grandma Vinda had loved the man and, if she knew for sure that Gellert knew Sirius was innocent, she’d probably had already contacted him about the teenagers’ schemes.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Finally the witch shook herself, “Well, it’s a secure location and Sirius owns it. If he were hiding out there, it would be no problem to house the Order as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Draco wrapped an arm around his mother. He’d grown up with secret bedtime stories about the legendary Order of the Phoenix, which had been a big secret from Lucius Malfoy. It was hard to imagine, “How would we even break in? Sounds harder than breaking into Gringotts, honestly.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fred and I can get in,” George told them, “You all can’t. We’ve been allowed in before, the warding will let us through.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry took all of that information in and nodded, “Alright then, we’ll break off into three teams.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cissy fought not the laugh when all four boys straightened at his tone. They were obviously excited to see the plans formulating in his mind. Her stomach just rolled and her mind prayed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fred, George, you’ll go after the locket,” Harry told them quickly, “Draco, take your mother and get the cup…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Goody,” Neville muttered, “And what do we get to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The fifteen year old’s emerald eyes sought out hers, “If it’s alright with Cissy, we’ll take Capri and meet up with Fawkes, ask him to initiate the plan and hunt that snake down early.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Narcissa hadn’t thought about where her daughter would be. Of course, she wanted the girl nowhere near those horcruxes, so that was the safest team for her to go with. Still, the Slytherin set Harry with a look, “Where exactly are you going to be?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll apparate with her to the Shrieking Shack and back,” Harry told her, “That’s it. She’ll get to meet a phoenix in between.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Although part of her wanted to hurl, Cissy finally found it within herself to nod her assent.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything else before we split up?” Harry asked the group.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“If there is anyway you all can,” George started.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Try and get back here by 9:00pm,” Fred continued.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Neville demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The Order is meeting then,” George confessed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harry thought about that and a nice little prank began to formulate in his mind. If they could pull this off, it would be perfect. Of course, they were dependent on if Fawkes could track and kill Nagini in such a short time frame, as it was five minutes until two, but it would ensure that no one in his family ever underestimated him again.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Get your horcruxes and meet back here,” Harry instructed them, taking out his trunk and removing the custom clasps he’d made, and the vial of basilisk venom he’d extracted, for Fawkes’ part of the deal. He also set the last two basilisk fangs and his horcrux removal potion on the counter in their locked chest, “We’ll destroy the lot and have ourselves a merry little night in celebration!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The boys whooped and Narcissa took in all the preparation that they’d already done. The five had really been going to do this, with or without the knowledge that she owned the vault, meaning they’d really had a plan to break into Gringotts. She took a deep breath and simply asked Harry, “Have the locks on this place…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Been changed?” Harry nodded, “Dad did it the night before he died... He didn't know what was going to happen, but in his letter… He knew one of the Marauders was going to defect, somehow. I did put the new into Gringotts, but no one can get that out besides my Grandpa Percy.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful,” Narcissa conceded. She was still tempted to contact Gellert Grindelwald in a tizzy, but it seemed too late for that now. If Harry didn’t move to tell someone in his family something once they destroyed the cup, then Cissy would do so, and she'd have the previous Dark Lord sic his husband onto their overly ambitious grandchild. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to believe the boy hadn’t followed Severus into Slytherin.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The witch wondered if Harry knew that Hogwarts’ Potions Master was his third parent? With the Dark Lord back and Sev’s position as a spy, she highly doubted it. Where the boy got his cunning to pull this off was without question, however.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright team, we’ve got seven hours and four horcruxes to destroy,” Harry told the band, “Marauders 2.0: Mission of a Lifetime is live now!”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Reckoned Soul</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fred and George were heading up the block toward Grimmauld place, while Draco and his mother took off in the opposite direction, going back the way that they’d just come a couple hours before. Both parties could still hear the resounding crack from the apartment building’s stoop, when Harry and Neville disappeared with Capri. Everyone was anxious to complete their mission and return back to the safety of the Marauders’ apartment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins crossed the two blocks between the apartment and Grimmauld Place with ease. They were allowed entrance through the back door and weren’t surprised to pass the small entryway to arrive in the kitchen, where their mother dragon was residing, getting everything ready for the night’s meeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Spotting them right away, Molly Weasley’s hand went to her hip and she pointed two fingers at the two in the form of a vee, “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times! Just because you two turned seventeen, does not mean that you have to apparate in and out at every given chance!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We just wanted to go look for open rentals, Mum!” George defended them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Placements of joke shops are very important,” Fred told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There is going to be no joke shop,” Molly said, marching into the pantry for ingredients to whatever she was making, “Until the two of you buckle down and graduate!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” They chorused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not kidding!” Molly shouted, “This is your future! The rest of the family it’s not even a question, but the two of you refuse to let anything be easy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a small mercy that their father walked in and encouraged the old bat to leave them be. There was a time limit to this after all. Knowing that there wasn’t time to search the entire house either, Fred and George moved out of the kitchen quickly, to track down the one man that might have an idea where Kreacher kept his valuables.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Many of the Order members, such as Moody, Kingsley, or even Remus Lupin’s wife, Tonks, were all aurors. And even those who had different professions, such as Andromeda Tonks, the younger Tonks’ mother, who was a healer, pretty much everyone had day jobs. So, finding that the current residents were few, if not far between, was in no way surprising, given that most members of the group didn’t have work that was off in the typical weekend fashions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arriving at Grimmauld Place mid afternoon on a Sunday found Sirius Black and Remus Lupin sitting in the living room playing chess, while the previous professor’s young son colored on various pieces of scattered parchment, with his gifted dragon toy from Harry standing guard next to him. Hoping to seem inconspicuous, both twins headed for the floor, inquiring about what the toddler was doing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m making Kitty a drawing for his birthday,” Teddy offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus glanced up from where he was getting his ass kicked, “I still don’t know why he’s been Kitty ever since the second task. Pawn to F6.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cause he’s a kitty, duh,” Teddy said without reservation, giving the sandy blonde werewolf a look that said just how stupid he thought the taller man was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Obvious, Moony,” Sirius snickered, “Rook to G8. Do use your brain, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fred and George are Gryffindors too, and Ron and Hermione,” Remus said as Sirius crushed yet another piece of his. He opened his mouth to continue, but then his best friend’s rook didn’t just destroy his pawn, no it kept grinding it into dust like an arsehole, and he stopped to glare at Padfoot for a moment, before continuing, “They’re all lions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not like that,” Teddy dismissed, before trying to use the word his father had, “Harry’s a real li-on!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred and George grinned at one another, knowing that this same conversation had been going in circles since February, when Harry showed Teddy his animagus form while exploring the Forbidden Forest, before the boy left. If the Marauders hadn’t figured it out from the two year old by now, then they were never going to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bored, Sirius turned in his seat to look at the twins, “Find any good spots, boys?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” They chorused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred shrugged, “We’ll have Harry help us look.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not too much longer until he gets here,” George affirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right, one more week,” Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus' sorry attempts to get back in the match. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Sirius," George started, making his voice sound as off the cuff as possible, "Where does your house elf live?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fugitive flinched, still uncomfortable with someone referring to anything in this house as his, "What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, we never had a house elf," Fred shrugged, picking up where his brother left off, "So, like, he lives in the house, but, where?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Understanding the question more now that they had elaborated the Marauder shrugged, "House elves make dens. In a cabinet or a closet somewhere. In newer homes small crevices are built in for them, but this place is far too ancient. Kreacher always used the broom closet across from the pantry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knowing that they couldn't simply make a run for it, Fred and George affirmed that was logical and hunkered down to wait for their opportunity. Sirius and Remus were good company though, always having one more story of a prank that the twins hadn't heard yet, so they definitely weren't bored. Their chance didn't come until just after five o'clock, when the aurors of the Order got off work and came to Grimmauld place after their shift.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their mother came flying into the room as Tonks was loving on her son, ordering Fred and George upstairs, "Want to go with us, Teddy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes!" The two year old cried, happily sailing into Fred's arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, let's go!" George started up the stairs, then made a show of changing his mind, "Actually, who's hungry?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am! Me!" Teddy cried, because the toddler was always hungry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The adults need to talk!" Molly Weasley gave her sons a pointed look, reminding them that these meetings were not just fun and games.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily Kingsley Shacklebolt came to their unlikely rescue, "Let the boys eat, Molly! They're seventeen! We're not supposed to start for hours anyway."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus' wife giggled, "I don't think overhearing a bit of gossip will put them in any danger."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their mother agreed and called the other teenagers, who were sulking upstairs at no one going to get Harry prior to his birthday, down to eat as well. That worked out, because Fred and George pawned Teddy off on their sister, claiming to have already eaten once their mother shut the kitchen off. They made as if to go upstairs, then cut down the small hallway that led to the backdoor and pantry, along with a mystery door that they now knew to be Kreacher's den.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The elf in question had been assigned to cleaning the highest floors of Grimmauld Place, so when they opened the door the small space was vacant. Rummaging through all sorts of things including broken photographs, coins, and a dead mouse that had George going to squeal if his twin hadn’t grabbed him by the mouth to keep him quiet. Fred released his wuss of a twin and turned to glare at the den as a whole. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was ready to find this stupid locket and get out of here! Slowly he turned around to look at the pantry across the hallway, then turned back into the den to look at the space with fresh eyes. They had checked the nooks and crannies, the space around the boiler that largely took up the small room, and the floorboards for any that could be loose. Why the fuck didn’t the summoning charm work on horcruxes?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if it’s in his nest?” George proposed suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took Fred a moment to realize that his twin was referring to the large pile of old blankets that had been thrown together in some facsimile of a bed. Realizing that they had largely avoided the bundle because it seemed disrespectful to mess up the place someone slept, it had to be acknowledged that resistance is what would make it the perfect hiding place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a shared look, both wizards went to ripping the blankets apart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From there, it took them mere moments to find the locket. It was gold, with green gemstones creating a snake-like letter ‘S’ that reeked of dark magic. There was no doubt that this was their horcrux.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George decided to carry it, because though he was the more sensitive soul, he was also slower to anger. They’d both come into their Salamander fire spirit inheritances at seventeen and though they could both produce active flames now, Fred was more prone to spout fire and didn’t need the temptation. Frankly, George couldn’t believe that Kreacher had survived all these years sleeping on top of the blasted thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Checking their watches it was just before six-thirty and both took off for the back door. As they repassed the entryway and were able to hear into the kitchen, the Weasley matriarch was just entering to send all the other teenagers upstairs and was enquiring for their presence. Both booked it out the back door twice as fast without a glance or word in one another’s directions and apparated back to the apartment as soon as they were past the warding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hearing her daughter disappear with a crack after the morning that she’s already faced made Narcissa want to abandon all of this and run, not just with her children, but all of this new generation of Marauders, to Nurmengard. She tried to remind herself that there was entirely too much that she didn’t know. Primarily, was if she would even be welcome in the castle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It would be easy to assume that Gellert had to know Sirius was innocent if Albus Dumbledore did, because the two had been best friends since they met. Although the Headmaster muted his mating bonds after the three way duel that killed his sister, no one would ever suggest that his affection for the Dark Lord waned. Not when Gellert got married and had Fleamont with their other mate, Percival Graves, not after their legendary duel for the elder wand, and not when Gellert was imprisoned; their love was immovable </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then again, Gellert had also held his husband prisoner during the height of his war, taking him captive and impersonating him to infiltrate Macusa in the 1920s. After Theseus Scamander broke the Director out of Nurmengard with, at the time, his new sister in law, Tina Scamander, it had taken Graves until James Potter’s fourth year to reconcile with his husband. Although they had been together the last time that Narcissa was aware, that was also almost a decade and a half ago. And, even if the husbands’ were perfectly on track, all she could think was...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not only did she not know the state of Gellert, Dumbledore, or Graves’ communications, Lily always said they were the three most powerful men on the planet, but dumbasses, Cissy also didn’t know the status of Aberforth Dumbledore, who was her Uncle Orion’s mate. The younger wizard was best friends with Percival Graves, but she didn’t know if that relationship had stood the test of Sirius’ alleged betrayal. Certainly if her Uncle Abby knew what these boys were up to, he wouldn’t let it continue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The closer they came to Diagon Alley, the more thoughts swirled around her mind and the more confused she became. Why in the world were James and Lily’s families allowing the boys to do this? Allowing them to hunt horcruxes, despite the fact that the Order had reconvened and this certainly seemed more like their area of expertise, no matter how smart Harry clearly was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can ask me questions. You’re not a… a hostage, Mum.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words jolted her and Narcissa realized she was staring at the brick entrance to Diagon Alley. Jerking into the other direction to take in her son, it was obvious that Draco had picked up on some of her confusion and worry through their familial bonds that were now open. He was clutching his wand tightly and staring at her, finally looking hesitant and concerned, though it was over her and not what they were about to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa couldn’t help it, she laughed, the sound landing somewhere between exasperated and delighted as she pulled him into a hug, “Oh honey, I know that! I could dig my heels in at any time and you made it clear I didn’t have to participate… I just…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unable to decide just how she wanted to finish that statement, she gestured toward the wall. She wanted to get this cup and get back to the apartment, though it was unlikely that they would beat Harry and Neville’s team back. That didn’t bother her because at least it meant Capri was there safe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the bricks began to slide away to reveal Diagon Alley, Narcissa gladly took her son’s arm when he offered. Glancing to him, she finally found her inquiry, “I suppose I’d like to know how this all started and why he hasn’t gone to his family for aid. The prodigal child, even in the form of a grandchild, of the three most powerful wizards in the world, not including that monster, one would think he’d happily tag them in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Calmed because his mother was talking to him, Draco snorted as they walked toward Gringotts through the ever crowded streets, “I suppose it all started when he was on the train that first year; he’d been raised in the muggle world until that point and he got letters from his Mum and Dad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa sighed, “I was there when James and Lily wrote those letters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Draco asked, excited to hear about his mother’s life with the Marauders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. They were supposed to be in case of the worst,” Narcissa scoffed, “So, Harry got them on the train?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s when he first learned that Albus Dumbledore was his grandfather, because Aberforth Dumbledore couldn’t have children. Lily Potter said that both Dumbledores and Grandpa Orion were her parents and not to worry about the biology, she just wanted to make sure…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They didn’t dance around it for a lifetime,” Narcissa chorused with a giggle, “Yes, she did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Draco agreed with a grin, “And she told Harry that Uncle Sev was their third mate and his third parent. She was excited for him to get back to both her father and his, but it all went wrong when he got there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They ignored him,” At her inquisitive look of confusion, Draco shrugged, “To this day, Uncle Sev has treated Harry like crap and ignored him as his son, and Dumbledore has never acknowledged Harry as family, not once.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa was startled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why would the Headmaster ignore Harry as his grandson? Lily and her biological father had always been the closest. Ever since she discovered her heritage in potions class during their fourth year, Lily had simply adored the legendary wizard. He was the first person, outside of the Marauders, to be told she was pregnant with Harry!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus was a little easier to understand. Of course, she found no excuse for being mean to his son; for the genius Harry was to have pulled all this off, he was still just a child. At the same time, Sev’s position as a spy made it difficult for him to acknowledge his mates or their child in any public capacity. The wizard had also struggled to engage with his empathic magic ever since James and Lily died, and his son was sent into hiding for Harry’s protection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco shrugged, “Harry was...offended…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa heard the way he hesitated on the word and put together that he meant ‘hurt’. And what eleven year old wouldn’t get their feelings hurt if their father and grandfather ignored them? Idiots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...And at first he just stewed on it,” Draco continued as they started up the steps to Gringotts, “Then that Christmas, he wrote to James Potter’s grandfathers for the first time. His father told him to write them, if he needed anything, but that they might be afraid to approach him for fear of scaring him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was a fair assumption, Narcissa had to admit. The Director of Security for Macusa had reigned in the States for over a century, despite the prejudice so many vampires still faced even today, because the people begged the powerhouse not to leave. Then Gellert Grindelwald… Well, that was all that really needed to be said. The Liberator was a legend and warning all his own in name alone. If Harry was raised in the muggle world and only heard of them after entering the magical world once more, it would be easy to see where an eleven year old would be frightened to death of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, he talked to them,” Draco admitted, “Trading letters and going to Nurmengard our second year after Hermione was attacked, but it was easy to let them think that he lived with Albus Dumbledore and that the Headmaster had everything involving Harry under control.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa stepped through the door that her son held open for her and let that sink in. None of the adults in the family knew this was happening, then. Graves and Grindelwald thought Dumbledore had things under control and the Headmaster’s younger brother… She realized she still didn’t know what Aberforth knew and didn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was back on Draco’s arm as they moved towards the back of the bank and the tending goblins, “And Aberforth Dumbledore?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco gripped his mother’s arm tighter and led her away from Ragnok, the goblin who tended the Malfoy accounts usually, and toward Griphook, a friend of Bill Weasleys, “He knows we visit his bar once a week ever since second year, but he hasn’t spoken to his brother directly in years. Apparently he asked the Chief Warlock to get him in the same space as Sirius Black to find out the truth and was denied. I don’t know if they’ve spoken since the end of the tournament.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was a little surprised when the goblin that she’d never met grinned at Draco upon seeing him approach, but kept her face carefully blank. Narcissa also knew that he meant the Dark Lord’s return when referencing the end of the tournament and, personally, she wouldn’t be surprised if desperation had forced the Dumbledores to talk, but… Well, she’d found out that Sirius was innocent today and Cissy couldn’t imagine how angry her poor uncle had been to discover that his son suffered so much, unnecessarily, because his brother hadn’t helped him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d probably have a right conniption to learn that the blonde boy who snuck out to drink with Harry Potter once a week, was also his other grandchild, through Sirius.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahh, Lord Draco, it is a pleasure,” Griphook acknowledged the fifteen year old before turning his head toward Narcissa, “And your lady mother is, of course, lovely as ever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Goblins were usually the most formal of creatures, but Narcissa much preferred the qualities the creature pointed out to being called ‘Lady Malfoy’ right now. For the life of her, she just couldn’t figure out how the goblin, Griphook by his nametag, would know that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco and the goblin shared a grin, before he’d had enough of toying with his mother, “Thank you, sir. How fares your horde and Curse Breaker Weasley?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My horde fares well, Young Lord, but I’m afraid our resident curse breaker is struggling with a nasty Grecian foe today. I have not seen him since this morning,” Griphook turned to both of them then, “How might I serve you today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right, Weasley connections were safe, reliable, and on their side. Narcissa doubted that the goblin knew anything truly secretive on her son’s part, but the twins had surely told Draco which goblins were friendly with, she supposed, one of their brothers, “I need to access the Lestrange vault.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco slid the key across the counter to Griphook and the goblin nodded, “Of course.” He signalled for one of his co-workers to come and run his desk while he was engaged with them, “This way, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had never been fond of the carts, but dutifully sat as they flew deeper and deeper into Gringotts. It was much easier to stare at her son, then the many vaults and sights that they were all but flying past. That was the only reason Cissy noticed his sour face at the sight of the poorly treated dragon which they left behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something like disappointment passed behind his eyes and somehow, perhaps a mother’s intuition, Narcissa just knew, “What part of the plan was he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took Draco a moment to place the question, but when he did, the younger Slytherin grinned at his mother, “Exit strategy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Was all the witch offered in response, looking back ahead, as they were further down then she had ever been before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco sat back with a sigh, “Maybe I’ll ask the others if there’s something that we can still do about that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa whipped back into his direction, “What!?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A laugh was all she got from her son, “Not today, certainly. But… Well, you either take your status as a defender of life, liberty, and love seriously, or you neglect who you are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knowing that Draco had known exactly who his father was when he spoke of the Peverells earlier made the witch take him that much more seriously. Cissy grabbed his hand and clutched at it tightly, “But not today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly the cart began to roll to a halt. Griphook took off to start unlocking the absolutely ancient looking vault, while Draco stood and helped her out of the cart. Taking a stance next to her son, Narcissa looking at the black iron door adorned with a large ‘L’ shape and surrounded by symbols for magic and purity. When the goblin placed the key into a small lock on a beam before the door the witch was confused, until the ancient entryway actually started to melt away, rather than open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vault inside was filled with gold and silver. There were animal skins and a skull still wearing a crown that turned Narcissa’s stomach, only serving to reinforce that while Lucius Malfoy was a pathetic purist of no virtue, she’d been cursed with the lesser of other evils in her own marriage contract. Griphook took a stance with his back to them, staring out at the other vaults and taking no mind to their business as goblins did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco let his mother enter the vault first, since she was the primary owner and it needed to recognize her. When the magic had done so, he stepped in to look around for the cup. It took them about an hour of searching, but finally it was his mother who spotted a golden cup, marked by two ‘H’s and two badgers in alternating places upon it. When she hesitated, one of the strongest witches he knew, while reaching for the piece of dinnerware, Draco knew that they’d found it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa gripped the cup although her neutral siren magic resisted such a dark artifact. Her son nodded her toward the exit and she quickly crossed the threshold with the item before allowing him to take it from her. Knowing that her son had experience with this sort of thing turned her stomach, but Cissy was also relieved to no longer be touching something with part of the Dark Lord’s soul inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They moved back to the cart and Narcissa was shocked by how calm her son remained. He seemed unaffected by the object, although she could tell along their familial bonds that it did dampen his mood. Draco continued to chat pleasantly with Griphook about the curse Bill Weasley, as his mother learned the oldest Weasley sibling was named, was fighting, while they rose from the bowels of the bank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Leaving the bank as uneventfully as they arrived was hard to believe, but Draco was relieved. He looked at his mother, “Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Narcissa reassured him as they moved quickly back through Diagon Alley toward muggle London, “I just want this over with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soon,” Draco assured her, checking his watch to see that it was only half past three, “Harry and Neville are probably already back with Capri. Bird Beak is usually pretty attentive to Harry’s magic. Let’s go find out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Capri was excited to be going on an adventure with her brother’s friends. She was used to side apparating with her mother and brother, so the girl sat pleasantly on Harry’s hip from the moment that he reached for her, asking all sorts of questions about his adventures with Draco at Hogwarts. The Boy Who Lived could tell that the little witch’s mother was terrified to leave her and Harry understood, but, for once, he had no interest in undertaking any crazy schemes, not with the little one with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They apparated into the backyard of the Shrieking Shack and Neville opened the door for his companions to get inside. It had been an idea for them to go into Hogsmeade, but there was too much of a risk of being spotted. McGonagall, and any other professor that stayed within the castle on their break, spent much more time in the village when they didn’t have students to look after. Not to mention the fact that the Headmaster could spot them. That would put an end to their chances really quick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is this place?” Capri demanded when Harry put her down to explore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t much for her to find, other than dust or shredded bedding and materials, but it still gave the little one something to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry decided to go for honesty, “This is where students at Hogwarts who are werewolves wait out the full moon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” Capri looked around, “Why is it so messy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there hasn’t been a student who needed to use it in about twenty years,” The dark skinned Gryffindor explained, “We’re here to meet up with a friend of mine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Another Gryffindor?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Harry made a show of pondering for a moment, “He’s a phoenix familiar, his human was a Gryffindor though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a phoenix?” The three year old demanded, crawling under the bed to search for something interesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s like a magical parrot,” Neville muttered in explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed at that. His friend and Fawkes had a very love, hate relationship, as the phoenix constantly tried to peck at the Longbottom heir, and Neville always called Fawkes an overly glorified canary. As a general rule, his grandfather’s familiar tolerated all of Harry’s friends, but the only person he was willing to hide information from Albus Dumbledore for was the Headmaster’s grandchild.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes and the Potter heir had been in cahoots since his second year. When the phoenix realized that Harry was manipulating Gellert Grindelwald into not summoning his husband to Hogwarts by writing the man a letter citing Fawkes for helping him defeat the basilisk, and saying that they were on their was to Dumbledore's office together, Fawkes had been intrigued. The familiar had decided to aid his human’s prodigy, since the wizard in question was foolishly ignoring him and leaving the boy to his own devices under only Hedwig’s maternal gaze anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That's why Harry simply opened his magic up and hunkered down in a still intact chair to wait for his partner in crime. Capri was content to explore the shack and Neville followed her around the building to make sure that she didn't find trouble. That left the seer free to ponder this turn of events.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd been sure that he would need a week to adjust to his full siren magic, which he could feel bubbling beneath his skin, just waiting to emerge, but this was even better. While it would have been cool to complete the only successful theft from Gringotts, no point of pride was more important than their mission. If he could finish this tonight, Harry would be free to confront his family about ignoring him, having destroyed their only excuse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Boy Who Lived tried to think through the night, making sure that there was nothing he had overlooked. Narcissa and Draco should have no problem at Gringotts since she owned the vault and Harry highly doubted that Fawkes would object to hunting Nagini down a week early. Fred and George had the most dangerous mission, as they were making for the proverbial dragon's keep and planned to do more than tickle it; they intended to steal it's treasure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If they were caught, there would be hell to pay. Albus Dumbledore would know what it was and they'd have no choice but to confess all. While they didn't have the new key to the apartment, Sirius could easily have his Dad summon Grandpa Graves to remove it from Gringotts, and then his family would never let Harry take that potion. He had to take it before they found out he was doing so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was going to work. His potion to remove horcruxes was no more dangerous than facing down Voldie would be. Plus, at least he could control the environment this way. Even if it did kill him, he'd be among friends and safe in a family owned property.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco and the twins refused to consider that option, much less discuss it. So, Neville knew what to do. Hedwig would be back if the worst happened and he'd already written letters to Sirius and Remus, if they had to be sent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had absolutely refused to write letters to Severus Snape or Albus Dumbledore. If they had ignored him for four years, Harry wasn't going to stoop to acknowledging them in death. He did have messages for his Grandpa Abby, Grandpa Percy and Grandpa Gellert within both Marauders' letters, however. Refusing to acknowledge the other two might have been petty, but he'd settled into anger at them, because it was more useful that hurt. It was impossible to think past swallowing that potion if he thought about how he'd felt at eleven, after the way his mother built up both men in her letter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had written and rewritten his confession letters a million times. Explaining everything he'd done and his choices had been more of a struggle then hunting horcruxes. When he had finally found the words to express how much he'd wished that there could be another way, it helped the Gryffindor feel more content in his decision. Sirius and Remus wouldn’t agree, if it came to that, but Harry was at peace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes arrived with a mighty shriek just before three o'clock, the sound summoning Neville and Capri back from their expedition. The toddler, just like most grown magicians, was absolutely enamored of the creature at first sight, "Oh, how pretty! Hello pretty bird!!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not one to normally like being called a simple bird, Fawkes had a general idea of just how young Capri was and sensed that she meant no insult. He took a trip around the room to show off his lovely feathers, earning eye rolls from both teenagers, before landing on the bed where the toddler could join him. The little witch didn't hesitate, although she was quickly covered in dust and dirt from her assent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry took out the vial of basilisk venom and the talon attachments. He'd customized the metal to fit perfectly along the bottom of Fawkes' feet. They would protect him from being in direct contact with the substance, but allowed the fifteen year old to soak the bottom of them in venom, and they were sharp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Fawkes could snatch Nagini from the ground using them, she'd be dead, along with the horcrux inside of her, within seconds. Showing both to the bird, Harry inquired, "We need to find her a week early. Are you up to it, Big Guy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The phoenix flew up a few feet in the air and flamed around the edges of his wings, giving an excited call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, "I knew I could count on you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes landed on the nightstand, because it was more stable than the bed, and extended one foot. Harry fastened the attachment, making sure it still fit perfectly and that Fawkes was still able to flex his foot with enough power to break skin. Once his right foot was settled, Harry did the same with the left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The basilisk venom was the most dangerous part, but Fawkes was patient and Harry steady handed. Once every drop was glistening along the metal talons, Albus Dumbledore's familiar left as quickly as he'd arrived to perform his task, knowing to meet them at the apartment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He and Neville arrived back with their charge before either of the other teams, but they were just grateful to have Capri back inside and safe. Neville paced before the fireplace, worrying about the others, while the small blonde girl went back to nosing through their things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wasn't worried about her, there was nothing dangerous that the toddler could get into. He took a seat in the black recliner along the wall opposite the seat Draco used and tried to let his mind relax. Ever since the moment that Fawkes took off, there had been a familiar sensation in his temple, one that usually meant a vision was about to come in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If they hadn't been in the middle of a mission, Harry would have broken into the stash of marijuana that his Grandpa Gellert gave him for the summer. He hadn't smoked until the year before, however his sight had gone berserk after the first task and, after a week with no sleep he'd stumbled to Nurmengard, where his Dark Lord grandfather had him smoke to calm the visions. It was interesting how the same plant could do either, bring visions on or put them off, but Harry had just been grateful for something to make him crash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You alright?" Neville demanded, when Harry didn't say anything for too long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, "I've got a vision trying to come in. It's right there, but I don't know why it won't come on."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can only know what you're meant to, when you're meant to," The Longbottom heir reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know. It's just frustrating."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They waited for another half hour before the door opened to show Draco and his mother coming inside. Their friend didn't hesitate to place the cup on the coffee table, showing their success, but that was also the moment Harry's vision finally erupted. The Boy Who Lived gasped as he was sucked into a time and space not his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First thing Harry saw was Peter Pettigrew and he sneered at the sight. The traitorous rat was dressed in all black and wielding his stubby wand, that Harry wanted to shove somewhere it would never see the light of day again. Though he was glancing around wearily, it seemed to be more of a nervous tick, rather than concern for anything in particular.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter was approaching a huge black iron gate that kept the mansion behind it separate from everything else. In the center of the fencing structure was a huge black ‘M’ inlaid on a crest that Harry recognized after a moment. Which placed him at Malfoy Manor in this vision; interesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind the gate white peacocks ran around a pond so large that it was basically a lake and the only color surrounding the house was from the assortment of garden flowers planted around the water's edge. The house itself was huge and unnecessarily ornate; as a matter of fact, it was so white that Harry was pretty sure the full moon would be jealous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was surprised when Pettigrew went to knock on the gate, rather than using some magical means of entry. After a moment the seer surmised that either he’d never been able to get into Malfoy Manor, or Draco had done something since he brought his mother and sister to the Marauder’s apartment. Then it became obvious why this vision was important! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before now, Harry had two options. He could tell all of his family the truth about the Dursleys and leave the capture of Pettigrew to the professionals, whenever they managed to find the rat. Or, as had been his plan, Harry could have spent the next week in the muggle world tracking Pettigrew to the hole Voldemort stuffed him in, so that the band could track, capture, and turn him in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While destroying the horcruxes had been made unquestionably easier by Draco’s shake up, the capture of Pettigrew had been all but forced into the first option. Now, Harry knew from the moon's phase that this was happening at some point tonight, so all he had to do was get the band and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bright red light erupted behind Pettigrew and Harry jumped, surprised to have gotten so carried away that he forgot he was still in a vision. The older animagus crumpled with a cry and a dark figure started to emerge from the shadows. Slowly Harry identified a wizard moving from behind a giant oak and toward Peter, hefting the wizard up by his collar and laying him against the gate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn't know who the man was, but he could admit that the wizard was gorgeous. He was tall and broad shouldered, standing at a minimum of six foot three, if not more, and had muscles that the Gryffindor could see rippling no matter how perfectly his suit fit and attempted to hide them. He had dark hair and it was curly on the top, where it wasn’t slicked back on the sides. If Harry had to guess, the man was in his late twenties or early thirties.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kneeling in front of an unconscious Pettigrew, the man went instantly to ripping at the pudgy man’s sleeve and it tore to reveal a dark mark. The stranger cursed, “So, it’s true then. You traitorous piece of shit!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man stood quickly, seizing Pettigrew by the collar and disappearing with the man. Harry fully expected the vision to end then, leaving more mystery then answers, but the overall sense that someone on their side would end up discovering the rat’s treachery. Instead, the setting melted away to show somewhere else, but the vision didn’t end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was in an office of some sort now, which Pettigrew and the stranger reappeared in. Looking around, Harry quickly spotted a large desk of dark wood, it was neat and orderly, but that wasn’t the most important part for the mastermind’s purposes. It held a name plate that finally gave an identity to his new ally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Theseus Maximus Chayton Scamander</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Lord Commander of Special Operations</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry blinked at the nameplate. Well, that was one hell of an ally to have. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus Scamander had moved on from the Head Auror position back when Alastor Moody was first promoted to the role, and took over two specialized teams of ten that alternated being called out for only the most dangerous and highly sensitive of missions. He hadn’t been in the position as long as Harry’s Grandpa Graves had been Director of Security, but it was a damn close thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Scamander threw his unconcious prisoner into one of the chairs along the far wall roughly, before dropping unceremoniously into the tall backed chair behind his desk, worrying his upper lip with his pointer finger as he glared at Pettigrew. Movement from the doorway pulled Harry’s attention from the office to the archway, to reveal three new arrivals. Two witches and a wizard, all silver haired and looking to be in their sixties or seventies, were staring at the Lord Commander exasperated from the office's only doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witches looked like they could be twins, with their short silver hair and matching eyes, though one was taller than the other. Their simple day robes were even complementary shades of green, although they didn’t completely match. The wizard was wearing a bright blue coat instead of a traditional robe and appeared to be the most irritated with the man behind the desk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, brother, we’re here at,” He looked toward the clock on the wall, “Eleven o’clock at night. What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry instantly placed Luna’s grandfather, Newt Scamander, at the address.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus Scamander simply pointed to the unconscious man across the room from him. The trio gasped and stared at Pettigrew for a moment. It was the slightly shorter of the two witches who came back to herself first and darted toward Pettigrew. While she was examining him, Newt Scamander scattered for his brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What happened?" The magizoologist of legend demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Lord Commander shrugged, "As far as anyone else will know, I got an anonymous tip that Peter Pettigrew was alive…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A gasp brought both men's attention to the witch inspecting the unconscious man, to find that she was holding up his arm where the dark mark was exposed for the others to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"... And a Death Eater," Theseus continued with a huff. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other witch moved closer to lean upon his desk, "And if you're talking to family?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark haired wizard sighed and opened a drawer to the right of his desk, pulling out a piece of parchment, "I got this letter at home earlier. It's from someone claiming that Peter Pettigrew was alive and Sirius Black went to Azkaban as an innocent man. They told me where to find him tonight…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man trailed off for a moment as both his brother and the witch snatched the letter and started to read. Harry wandered over in the vision to do the same. He was shocked to recognize his own handwriting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older Scamander brother sighed, "They also claim to be my mate."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was utterly frozen. Theseus Scamander was his mate?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus Scamander was his mate!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Newt Scamander stole his attention with a sigh, "Theseus, I know you've been waiting for so long, but…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But, so does everyone else," His brother hissed, "I'm well aware it could just be a ploy to ensure my cooperation, Newton."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt himself deflate. He would never do that to anyone. Still, could he even know for sure before midnight? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They certainly seem to be right about everything else," The witch next to the Scamander brothers argued, grabbing the Commander's hand, "It's them, Theseus. I can feel it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus smiled at her, though it was still tinged with sadness. He pulled the letter from his brother's hands and passed it to the witch, "I know there are no guarantees, but could you just… ask him?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course!" She assured brightly taking the letter, "I'll go now. Gellert is searching for that wayward grandson of his anyway."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Newt snapped all of his attention to her, "I haven't heard anything from Albus. What happened to Harry?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch across the room conjuring ropes to further restrain Pettigrew was the one to answer, "Percy had to take off from Macusa earlier; got a call from Aberforth Dumbledore. Apparently Harry took off from his muggle aunt and uncle's and disappeared. He sent a box of Voldemort's destroyed horcruxes to the Order of the Phoenix claiming to only be going to do their jobs this one time, alongside his friends."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Scamander brothers busted out laughing and Harry grinned, knowing that they were going to be successful and his prank was going to come to fruition. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Screw the Auror corps, tell him he's got a spot on my team waiting," Theseus chuckled before running a hand over his face, "I've got to get ready for in the morning. This is going to be a shit show… At least we should be rid of Fudge, between the dementors defecting and Black being innocent."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll stay and help," The witch by Pettigrew, who Harry could now identify as Porpentina Scamander, offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Her brother in law grinned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll go and run this by Gellert," The witch who was likely Queenie Goldstein, if she could just waltz onto Nurmengard casually, offered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you know where Albus is?" Newt demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think searching with Percy," Queenie shrugged, "Gellert said that was the plan when he firecaller earlier, but I'm not sure if anything changed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right," The wizard set his wife across the room with a look, "Tina…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know," The witch conceded something, before her gaze sought her sister's, "Queenie…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've been telling you to go ahead and deage for years," The taller witch waved her off, "It's okay, sissy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry's vision started to fade away and he returned to his current time and space. Neville was standing before the fireplace, arms crossed as he studied Harry with an expectant look, while Draco had an arm out to halt his mother. The witch had probably gotten nervous when Harry was pulled into the vision; that happened to most if they didn't know what was happening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, don't leave us in suspense," Neville said when his friend's attention returned to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of responding, Harry jumped up and made for the back rooms. He tore into his parents' old bedroom, the room that he'd currently claimed as his own, and made for the jewelry box. There was no way that he would send that letter unless he was sure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't matter how many lectures he'd gotten from his Grandpa Gellert about time and space. The man insisted that seers and time turner's existed peacefully together because both embraced the concept of inevitability. At the same time, Harry didn't care that he'd seen the note in his own hand; he would not toy with someone's feelings like that, if Theseus Scamander wasn't truly his mate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His imprisoned grandfather had forged him a custom pendulum when no others proved powerful enough to handle his magic. The necessary materials had taken forever to find, but Harry's core stone was black onyx, although four pale moonstones were embedded within the golden plate where it was housed. The lot hung from a delicate gold chain that the Dark Lord cited was a link to his fae ancestry, where the onyx was tributed to his dark vampire and parsel magics, and the moonstone was tied to his neutral siren and genie magics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His friends hadn't followed Harry, but were still standing in the living room waiting to see what he was up to. Seeing the still worried look on Narcissa's face, the near fifteen year old gave her a sheepish grin, "Everything is fine. I'm just making sure of something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch nodded and slowly started to leave the room to check on her daughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco and Neville took up residency on the other side of the kitchen counter as their friend asked his pendulum a silent question, where it dangled above his palm. They might not know what the question was, but both had been around long enough to know what motions Harry sought for yes and no. Whatever he was asking, the answer was assuredly a huge yes from the way that it swung in a fast circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Confident, now, that he wasn't being a first rate arsehole, Harry grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pen, explaining, "I had a vision of who to send after Pettigrew to have him arrested today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Woo!" Draco cheered, high fiving with Neville, "And who is our lucky co-conspirator?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, “Theseus Scamander.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville snorted, “That’ll do it. Man’s the British equivalent to your Grandpa Percy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t hard to recreate a note that he’d already seen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dear Lord Commander Scamander,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sirius Black is innocent of all the crimes of which he was accused. Peter Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily Potter and then used an illegal animagus form to escape capture after the fact. He’s an active Death Eater and will be outside of Malfoy Manor, which is empty, at the front gate around 10:30pm tonight. Please arrest him. As your mate, I will dream of you with more ease knowing that the traitorous rat is unable to cause anymore harm.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yours Very Soon</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me!” Draco shouted as he saw the note and read it, which drew Neville’s attention to the parchment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Longbottom heir gasped, “What the… How?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, putting the note in an envelope, “I found out from my vision.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hedwig was too easily recognizable, even though she’d arrived at the apartment at some point while they were out. Obtaining permission from Draco, the Boy Who Lived used Saiph to send the message quickly, before they turned their attention to the cup. Breaking out the chest with two basilisk fangs, Harry and Neville moved to destroy the cup, while their friend went to make sure that his mother and sister stayed in the back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After destroying the ring in their third year and the diadem last year, neither were surprised by the artifact's attempts to defend itself. Harry plunged the fang into the horcrux and both teenagers could hear a distant scream as the piece of Voldemort’s soul was destroyed. As the room settled back into silence, Neville took the deformed heirloom of Hufflepuff, and placed it along the mantle above the fireplace with the ring and diadem.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From there it felt like the waiting game of a lifetime, rather than the mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s fingers twitched as he was tempted to send a patronus to check on the twins, but he knew it would only be putting their task in jeopardy. Draco and Neville were unsure how to help him relax, since they knew that the Potter heir wouldn’t partake in pot or alcohol, not when they could have to respond any moment to something going wrong. They settled into a chess match while their fearless leader paced the room like a caged jungle cat, trying to keep his mind open for any visions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa was tempted to distract herself with Capri, but found herself telling stories of the photos on that wall in order to help the boys cope. She told them the story behind every photo that she’d been there for. The day Sirius discovered eye-liner, Remus’ first date… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were so many memories and Cissy was overwhelmed by them all. The teenagers couldn’t contain their laughter when she told them the story of James and Sirius being taken to an amusement park for the first time and their discovery of rollercoasters. The witch even told them about her Uncle Orion taking her and Lily to get their first tattoo, because they were embarrassed to admit that they were nervous to the Marauders. Cissy showed all three the daffodil, or narcissus, flower that she’d gotten on her wrist and described the tiger lily that her best friend had gotten in the same place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco had seen the tattoo before, but he couldn’t believe its origin that he’d never known.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins wouldn’t come rushing into the apartment until half past six, but George flung the locket onto the coffee table quickly to showcase their success. The other boys snapped to attention, because they were so very close to being done with their mission. Narcissa froze, unsure what to do with herself or Capri, and her eyes sought out Harry’s for some form of guidance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aunt Cissy,” Because she had become his aunt in the last couple of hours of storytelling. Harry nodded toward the back rooms, “Why don’t you and Capri grab some of Mom’s old pajamas and a shower. We’ll have this sorted and order dinner before you get out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww,” Capri complained unaware, “Can’t we eat now? I’m hungry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you should have thought about that before climbing through a mound of dust,” Narcissa informed her daughter, scooping the girl up to head for the back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The band waited for her to shut the Potters’ old bedroom door and head for the ensuite bathroom. When the shower cut on, all five sprung into action.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred took the basilisk fang that time, thinking it only fair since his twin carried the blasted thing all the way here. The younger boys stood shoulder to shoulder, Neville biting at his thumb nail, as they watched the twins get ready to destroy the locket. George towered at the opposite end of the coffee table from his twin and they were all tense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end no temptation or attempt to protect itself could stop the locket from meeting the same fate as the cup, diadem, ring, or diary before it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When all was said and done, Harry tossed the necklace onto the mantle with the other three. He was still upset that he wouldn’t have a full set, since Albus Dumbledore still had the diary, but he’d decided to include that little irritation in his note. By seven o’clock they were all forced to sit around and wait for Fawkes to return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred and George settled in to play wizard’s chest and Harry moved to phone in a large order for pizza. It was an even more obnoxiously large order then their usual, because, if Harry survived taking his horcrux removal potion, he had every intention of smoking until his family finally tracked him down. Draco went to his room to kill time, making it up so that his mother and sister could sleep there, and grabbing his spare Slytherin blanket from the closet to crash on the couch, while Neville paced, pondering what they would do if Fawkes was unsuccessful, or if Harry didn’t make it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pizza had just arrived, when a shriek drew all of their attention to the balcony off the living room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Opening the sliding glass door quickly, Fawkes was able to soar directly into the apartment with a snake dangling from his talons. Neville dropped to the floor, confirming that Nagini was well and truly dead, while the twins and Draco went to hollering. Knowing that Sirius’ mate would not approve of his plan, Harry hurried to get the metal clasps off of Fawkes and told the band to find him a crate big enough to fit all of the horcruxes inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew I could count on you, Fawkes,” Harry said, once the clasps were off, “Do you want to take the crate, or do you want me to send it through someone else?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The phoenix looked wildly offended at the notion of someone else taking the proof of his treachery to Albus Dumbledore and Harry could understand that. This was the Headmaster’s wake up call for ignoring him and he wouldn’t want someone else getting any of the credit either. He stroked the bird’s feathers, as Draco called out that he’d found something, leading all the others back into the living room from their search as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I found a crate of records in Dad’s room,” Draco told him, “It should do. Put them in the closet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The plain black crate was perfect. Though it had a lid attached to it, Sirius had clearly never used it, but Harry certainly would. They stuffed the snake, locket, cup, diadem, and ring inside, before the Boy Who Lived grabbed a piece of parchment and envelope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dearest Order of the Phoenix,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We’ve done your job for you this one time. Don’t get used to it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sincerely,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Marauders 2.0</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>P.S. Be gems and have your leader put the diary with these, so that we have a full set.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each of them signed their names to the note, although Draco carefully signed as Draco Black. Harry signed with his typical signature first, with the blonde following him, and Neville below the Slytherin, with what wound up being the smallest signature. Finally, the twins signed next to one another with a grand flourish that took up most of the remaining page.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was an old signet ring on the desk in the living room; it had a large M, that had a stag, wolf, rat, and dog on each side of the letter. Harry decided to use it to seal the envelope, even if it gave away where they were. He hoped that Sirius and Remus wouldn’t be that angry, given the true spirit of mischief of which this idea was born.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes took off with the crate just as the water cut off to the shower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knowing that they were now on borrowed time, Harry grabbed his horcrux removal potion. That was when the rest of the band tensed. None of them wanted to think of what it would mean, if this went wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trying to be helpful, Fred brought over the kitchen trash can, well aware that Harry had said nausea was an almost certain side effect. Neville fumbled to get Harry's trunk open and to set up all of the necessary components for them to smoke later, assuming this went well. Draco and George stood bravely on either side of their friend, ready to grab him in case he fell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to waste time on doubt from himself or the rest of the band, Harry popped the cork and downed the potion quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing happened for about five seconds, Draco was counting for lack of anything more useful to do. He sucked in a breath and held it when Harry stiffened at second six, just before Draco spotted his left eye glow green like a spell, like the killing curse itself. The Slytherin could only assume that his friend's right eye matched, when George looked as concerned as he felt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry slumped forward and both of them rushed to keep him upright by his arms. Neville moved behind their fearless leader and checked his pulse, relieved to confirm that he was, in fact, alive. Fred caught the moment that Harry jerked back to consciousness and grabbed the trash can to guide it to the boy he considered his youngest brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The black sludge like substance that Harry committed made the rest cringe. He braced himself on the tub and heaved for a solid minute, before it seemed like all of the horcrux had been purged from his system.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred whistled, "That's about what I thought old Voldemort's soul would look like."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh that's disgusting," Harry muttered, taking the offered paper towel from Neville. He was relieved to hear the door to his bedroom open, "Thank Merlin, I need a moment with my toothbrush."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins banished the entire trash can, while Harry slipped into his room, along with the rest of the band disappearing to change into pajamas as well. None of them wanted to explain what Harry had just risked to Draco's mother. Fred and George had taken Peter Pettigrew's old room, although they had redone every single thing about it from floor to ceiling at Harry's insistence. The rest of them had preserved most of their assigned Marauders' space, especially Neville since Professor Lupin wasn't his father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa set plates out for the boys and got Capri settled with dinner at the small kitchen table, before the witch turned to the beautiful Snowy owl perched on a stand by the balcony. The two females looked at one another for a long time, before the Slytherin asked, "Would you be willing to help me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The soft hoot the owl gave seemed like consent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The note she scribbled to her mate was laced with love and irritation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My Mate,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All five boys are safe. Draco confirmed for me earlier today that he's known you were his father since his second year. Where the day went from there I couldn't summarize if my life depended on it. Harry's protective magic on where we are won't let me tell you, but I assure you that you're familiar with the place. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boys don't know that I'm sending you this missive, but it's become glaringly obvious that handling the second generation of Marauders alone is no more in my capabilities, then summarizing this day. I need you and Remus to find us; you'll need Percival Graves to do so.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You tell that idiot best friend of mine, and the Headmaster, that they are morons for ignoring their son and grandson for the last four years, and that it ends now. Harry is too smart for either of them. James and Lily had letters sent to him that he got on the Hogwarts Express at eleven. He has known they were family since the Welcoming Feast and their treatment of him hurt him deeply, even if he'd never say as much.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please get here soon. With Harry's inheritance coming in at midnight, he needs support from his family.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Narcissa</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She used the signet ring that was on the desk in the living room to seal the letter, before sending it off with Harry's owl. As ten o'clock creeped closer and Capri began to grow drowsy, all Narcissa could do was pray that her mate found them soon.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Next Generations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sirius didn’t know how everyone could be so calm. It was driving him up the wall, and he did not survive twelve years in Azkaban to be driven mad by the blasted Order of the Phoenix, which was composed of his friends. Ever since he’d discovered that Harry was living with Petunia Evans, instead of Andy, in the aftermath of the Dark Lord’s return, the fugitive’s tolerance for his uncle had dropped drastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Being left to rot in that hellhole of a prison for over a decade was one thing. That was a tragic accident that resulted from the Marauders not communicating with their parents and them thinking that they could do everything themselves. His Uncle Albus refusing to help Sirius’ Dad confirm his innocence or guilt, well… Sirius was hurt, but he understood the Headmaster losing faith in him, after the Auror’s Report said that he was given veritaserum and confessed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was the only reason Sirius hadn’t started a brawl when he found out that Harry was sent to Petunia. He understood that the older Dumbledore brother lost faith in the entire Black family, once Lily was killed. It hurt, but it was logical.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Sirius and Remus had thrown enough of a fit to have the old man ousted from his position as the unquestioned leader of the Order, after sharing some of the stories Lily had told them of her cruel sister. Molly had been terrified, sharing the story of Harry's escape from his muggle relatives thanks to the twins prior to his second year, and the fact that the Christmas before, Harry had never received a gift that he could remember. Sirius knew that his Uncle Albus hadn't meant for Harry to be with such people, but he was livid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone else had settled back into relative peace, once the initial screaming match stopped, but the Lord of House Black simply couldn't. All he could imagine was his poor pup stranded at the mercy of that horse faced bitch from Lily's wedding for an entire week more. He'd wanted to go and get Harry before midnight, unable to imagine their precious godson coming into his siren inheritance, which it would be a miracle for him not to have between the Grindelwald and Black lines coursing through his veins, by himself in the middle of Little Whining. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Remus agreed with the others that it was too dangerous to try to remove him any day surrounding his birthday, so they were waiting a week. And Sirius wasn't allowed to go either way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he'd be staying here with Molly and the kids, probably pacing a hole in the floor, waiting anxiously. His Dad would probably wait out that night with him. Aberforth Dumbledore wasn't any happier than his son about the situation and had given his brother a piece of his mind for hours after Harry's situation was revealed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had a meeting to discuss the plan to retrieve Harry in an hour, but Sirius was content to hold a sleeping Teddy for the time being. He was nursing a glass of fire whiskey as he contemplated the situation that surrounded them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly had taken the younger teenagers home after finding the twins gone again without so much as a word from the prankster pair. Arthur had joined him for a drink while they waited for the Dumbledore brothers to arrive, and Sirius had shipped Remus and Tonks home for a few hours of private time while he kept his youngest godson. Alastor and Kingsley had been in the meeting room talking for the last hour, and Molly would be back for the meeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you thinking, Sirius?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing over at Arthur, the younger man, by about a decade, was contemplative before admitting, "My mate is Narcissa...Malfoy, I suppose now. I shut down our bond before I went to Azkaban to protect her, but I keep feeling something along the closed bond."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why not open it up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was afraid, though Sirius fought to admit it. What if she rejected him? What if Draco wasn't theirs after all? Rumor on the streets when he'd been running was that she'd had another kid. She could be happily married now, for all he knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t help that he was back here. Being in Grimmauld Place was all sorts of torturous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The one revelation he’d had since being back was how much he missed and loved Orion Black. His father had protected and shielded him from Walburga Black at every turn, no matter how often Sirius tickled that dragon, and provoked the crazy old bitch at every opportunity he’d ever had. As Sirius was realizing how much he missed the previous Lord Black, the only person the Gryffindor really felt comfortable sharing the sensation with was the younger Dumbledore brother, who missed his mate just as much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur saw the haunted look in his eyes and just nodded, "Molly and I didn't have mates. Neither of us had a magical inheritance, least of all one with a mating bond. Sometimes, I think it was a blessing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lord Black chuckled darkly, "It can be twisted; look what happened to Lady Prince."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Weasley Patriarch nodded. Severus Snape's mother had been murdered by her own muggle mate during the Potions Master's sixth year. It was a cautionary tale that young witches and wizards were told to stop them from following their mates blindly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Most aren't like that though. James and Lily, even with Snivellus," Sirius shrugged, having to give James’ vampire mate credit, even if he knew that something wasn’t right between the twat and Harry, "They were sheer magic."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other wizard quickly agreed. The Potter triad had been the envy of all who met them. Knowing young Harry as well as Arthur did, he could see how such bonds produced exceptional progeny as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think I'll go put this one down upstairs," Sirius picked Teddy up to take the little metamorphmagus up to his room. He'd be able to talk Remus and Tonks into staying here for the night with little problem, as they'd been assigned the room that shared Teddy's Jack and Jill suite.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he had first figured out that Tonks and Moony were mates, while running around the Hogwarts grounds two years ago, Sirius never expected Andy's daughter to wind up pregnant accidentally, when he started pushing them toward each other as Padfoot. Still, Remus had taken to fatherhood like a fish to water, especially once they confirmed Teddy wasn't a werewolf, and the wizard stopped his ongoing crisis. While Tonks wanted more children and her husband was terrified to try, the two were another example of a mating bond gone right, and Sirius was thrilled for them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There wasn't much that the Marauder could do besides sit around Grimmauld place all day, but he did have two godsons and access to his vault in Gringotts, so shopping therapy had become a thing. Sirius didn't buy much for himself, but Harry had a pile of expensive, custom, and rare gifts waiting for him as an apology from his godfather for missing his fifteenth birthday by a week, and Teddy's room was Quidditch themed to the point that professional players would be jealous. If Remus threatened him off from buying the two year old anymore stuff, the werewolf was promptly ignored.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the animagus' room there was also a pile of presents based on everything he'd been able to deduce concerning one Draco Malfoy, though he spat on the last name. Even if the young boy wasn't his, the blonde was Narcissa's. The presents might never be gifted, but Sirius hadn't been able to stop himself either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd just put Teddy down in his snitch shaped bed, and was closing the door behind himself, when Molly screamed his name from the floor below. The previous Head Auror hit the stairs descending two at a time and burst into the meeting room, looking around for any signs of danger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead what he found was Fawkes sitting atop a black crate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is going on?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's got something dead inside!" The Weasley matriarch was pointing toward the box insistently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked over to where Alastor and Kingsley were standing, wands at the ready, while Arthur was loitering behind his wife. Sirius was surprised that neither had tried to open the damn thing and something of his confusion must have shown, because his mentor gruffly moved to explain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He won't let us near it!" Moody growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realizing the wizard meant Fawkes, the pureblood turned back to his old friend with an arched brow, "Is it dangerous?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The familiar offered a clear head shake in the negative.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He must be waiting for Dumbledore to open it, then," Sirius told the others, quickly moving around the table to look, though not daring to defy the phoenix, "Looks like there is a letter inside the lid. Can't make out the address or seal from under his rump though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes shrieked in indignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"One to many candies, I suspect," Sirius continued without a care. When he heard the floo fire, he was relieved, "Might be the ancient one now. Keep checking it for curses and I'll be right back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly moved to follow him and Sirius could understand that. Loud as the maiden Prewett could be, she was a kind and sensitive soul. He knew that Harry was crazy about her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately it was just Remus, who was followed quickly by his wife. Sirius caught both up to speed and wasn't the least bit surprised when his niece took off for the meeting room to help the others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Teddy?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fast asleep upstairs."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Who in the world would be sending a dead carcass here?" Remus pondered as they waited by the fireplace. It was approaching nine o'clock, so they both were more than willing to wait for the Dumbledores. The others would summon them if any more information came to light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can't imagine it to be anyone with non-nefarious intent."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Sirius reached for the half consumed glass of fire whiskey, his best friend was well aware that he had more on his mind than unexpected deliveries, "What else?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark haired wizard shrugged, "Narcissa is torqued up over something. Can't tell what with the bond muted, but she's amped."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Open it, you fool!" Remus gestured wildly toward the meeting room, "What if she knows something about this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius huffed at him, "When I first went to Azkaban and muted it, she pounded on that bond for weeks trying to make me open up. Long past when she had to know where I was."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What's your point?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If she wanted me to open up," Sirius gave him a look, "There would be no doubt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus loved his friend, but sometimes the man was a tosser, "Even Narcissa wasn't immune to nerves, especially after being isolated for a decade from all of us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Remus wasn't sure anymore, that was when the Dumbledore brothers arrived. Albus tried not to come to Grimmauld Place directly from Hogwarts and usually both came from the Hog's Head, though Aberforth wasn't too thrilled about it from what the werewolf could see. Though that wasn't much, admittedly, until the smoke cleared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And when it did both Marauders jumped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus Dumbledore, who had been barely redheaded anymore when they were in school, was back to being a scarlet fae of prominence and intrigue. The Headmaster had deaged to be something around forty once more, although the handy trick known to only magical races such as vampires, sirens, faes, and elves, was something that the wizard of legend had once sworn he would never do. Both were a little surprised at how attractive the man was, with his short hair and neatly trimmed beard, but twinkling blue eyes still regarded them with mirth as he took in their start with amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man sidestepped, barely missing being plowed over by his brother's arrival.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius couldn't resist a snort when his dad arrived and Aberforth Dumbledore had scaled back to match his brother. The man looked the same as he had when the current Lord Black was a child, although the silver that had always laced his hair was currently non-existent. Instead short dark hair covered his head and more sedate blue eyes appraised his son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A pointed finger was the response when Sirius opened his mouth, the old goat ordering in a gruff voice, "Do not be cute."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realizing his old man's tone was irritable beyond the usual, both of Sirius' hands went up in surrender, "Fine then… What inspired this little change in scenery?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus chuckled, though the wizard was still aware that he was on thin ice with the young man in front of him, "Well, I got the recommendation that it was going to be an interesting night and that we should get on with it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snorted, yanking the glass away from his son and downing it, "Straight from Satan's lips to your arse."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Change back if it bothers you so damn much," Albus waved him off, "You won't hear me complaining."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should have warned me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not my fault you didn't ask! Doesn't even take a genius to put it together!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Obviously!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the Marauders share a confused look, and as his little brother slipped behind the bar to refill the glass, Albus moved to explain, "Gellert was the one to tell me we were going to end up doing it today."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth gagged across the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus turned to both boys, "Now come, you two, tell me honestly. If I said I had information about something we were going to do in the future, where would you assume I got it from? How many seers do I know? Two?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Especially about something personal," Sirius said, before slapping his hand over his mouth as soon as the words were out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus pointed at his nephew as if he'd just delivered the second coming of Merlin, while Abby glared at his son and hissed, "So, now you're taking his side?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Entertaining as this little incident is," Remus interrupted in an effort to rescue his friend, "We actually have bigger problems."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Dumbledore brothers forgot their argument as they listened to the werewolf describe this mystery crate. Curious, Albus was the first to take off for the meeting room, though he wasn't surprised that the others were right on his heels. His familiar was always getting into something, but Fawkes must really be in up to his beak to be running around with a carcass in a box.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly had been quietly crocheting while Sirius and Remus talked, as well as through the Dumbledores’ arrival, but she was quick to give her commentary as she followed the boys back for the meeting, "Aberforth, if it's any consolation, it was inevitable. You don't even have to acknowledge that Grindelwald delivered the news, if you don’t want to. Keep in mind you still share a grandchild with the man though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger Dumbledore brother had to admit that was true, even if he'd always give the previous Dark Lord a hard time. Such was his chosen lot in life. Had been, even before Ariana, when he learned the Flaring Fiend was mates with his big brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly turned her attention to the resident Lord Black without notice, "Sirius, for the love of the gods, talk to that woman. You can't possibly keep moping around here buying gifts for a boy you don't even know is yours!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>True, but he just hummed in response. One crisis at a time. They needed to solve this mystery crate first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And Albus, get your bird in line. He almost took Alastor's hand off!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes shrieked once more at her comment upon the group's entry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus chuckled, "Well then you shouldn't be dragging in dead things. What is this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rather than responding, Fawkes turned his back to all of the magicians and scraped his feet at them, before making for the nearest window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With only the crate left in his familiar's wake, the Headmaster rolled his eyes, "Well, that was unhelpful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snorted, but the phoenix's reaction suggested that it was nothing dangerous. He crowded his brother's shoulder alongside Alastor, as the scarlet buffoon reached for the note protruding from the box's lid. It wasn't the meeting that they planned, but it was far more interesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus looked at the seal surprised, having not seen the crest since the boys' Hogwarts days, whenever they had a prank that they were very proud of and wanted to claim. Silently he passed the note over for them to see and both gasped. Wasn't from either of them, then, and unless James was sending notes from beyond the grave…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where is yours?" Remus demanded, "Mine is at home in Tonks' jewelry box!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Confiscated when I went to prison, alongside my wand."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"James was buried with his," The werewolf looked like he'd been punched in the gut as he confessed to Albus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster hummed as he considered that information and pondered if maybe he should have asked Gellert more questions, despite the fact that he'd been running late for this meeting. Pushing the thought away he demanded, "And Peter? Was he wearing it at your confrontation, Sirius?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thinking about that night for a long moment, Sirius finally shook his head, "No, he wasn't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm," Albus moved to open the later, trusting the members present that there was nothing they hadn't checked for curses before he got here. Opening the note and reading, the Headmaster's eyes went wide. Slamming the note down and letting everyone else rush to see the content, he went to ripping the crate open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing all of the objects that he'd long suspected were Tom's horcruxes, sitting destroyed in a box and decimated, made his mind go blank.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere in the distance, Sirius was demanding to know what the artifacts were, and Molly was screaming about where the teenagers possibly had run off to. Remus was trying to calm his friend, and Arthur, his wife, while the others were still passing the note back and forth to read it after seeing what was in the crate. Albus couldn't seem to get two thoughts to align.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he finally jerked back online, the Headmaster rushed for the fireplace. Everyone followed him as he hurried through starting a firecall to Nurmengard. Luckily enough Gellert answered quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you know!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"About tonight?" Gellert shrugged, "Nothing, really. Harry and Draco met up at a next door neighbor's, I assume at his muggle aunt and uncle's. He made reference to wanting to get out of there since he was dumped in the muggle world at the start of summer and they took off together. It was just a flash, Albus."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You knew they were going to sneak off and didn't say anything!" Aberforth shouted from behind his kneeling brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't have a heart attack, goat boy. I wouldn't want to spend the night I received my first magical inheritance on the muggle world either," Gellert dismissed him, noticing the pinched look on his best friend's face, "Albus, honey, relax. They'll be fine. The Marauders snuck around with a war going on and never had a problem."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fae Headmaster huffed, "They aren't going to have a problem, G. They are the problem!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you talking about?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frustrated, Albus threw open his mating bond and flung what had just happened toward his siren mate. In his upset, he hadn't consciously opened his bond with Percival Graves, but, since this was about Harry, he didn't dare slam it shut either. This was going to be a very long night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert's fiery image flinched when he took in the bond opening and the weight of what the boys had done. He knew that Harry and his friends were smart, but how had they managed to hunt horcruxes under his mate and best friend's nose, without tipping the genius off? Why not just tell Albus if they knew where each was?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chief Warlock caught his mate's thoughts, "You knew they were friends?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That earned him a strange look through the embers, "Of course! He and Draco have been inseparable since they were twelve. At least since they started coming up here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You let them come to Nurmengard?!" Aberforth hissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Would you prefer the tattoo parlors your son frequented?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As his little brother opened his mouth to retaliate and Sirius snickered, Albus was in no mood, "Do not start, you two! G, why in the world didn't you tell me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I assumed you knew!" The siren cried, defensive that the wizard thought he might have been part of whatever scheme the boys had hatched, "Albie, what in the world is going on? Why haven't you been watching his interest in horcruxes since his second year?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He didn't even know what they were!" Albus shouted, springing up to pace around the living room where everyone had gathered around, "He wasn't supposed to know anything about you, or Graves, or…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone was watching the man pace. They all knew that they were missing something. How could Harry's grandfather not have known he was in contact with Grindelwald, his other grandfather? That he was sneaking to Nurmengard? That he was running around with Draco Malfoy… Or was the boy running with him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth turned toward his son in a state, as the weight of how the boy signed their note hit him, "Sirius, you promised me! Sirius Orion Black! You promised me that you and Narcissa weren't trying!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, Dad, there are two explanations," The Marauder shrugged, "Either, I was lying, or…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He was wrong about the number of explanations," Remus interjected, pulling Tonks down on his lap from his place in a recliner where his best friend was loitering nearby. He'd been living at the old Marauder apartment full time during Sirius and Narcissa's efforts and his best friend could rarely be convinced to stop a seduction to put up a silencing charm in those days.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Sirius didn't object to the claim, Aberforth hissed at both boys. He paced around the room, mirroring his brother unconsciously, and bit at his thumbnail. The innkeeper sighed after a moment, "How could you not tell me? If I'd known who he really was, I would have said something!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Said something?" Albus jerked to a halt, "What the fuck does that mean?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His little brother sighed, hand going up to run his forehead, "They've been coming to the Hog’s Head too. The five of them, every Wednesday since second year."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert knew that the Dumbledore brothers hadn't been speaking reliably for years. They hadn't been speaking before Harry came back into the magical world at eleven and they’d only spoken initially because Sirius was found innocent. After Aberforth had proclaimed what he thought of his big brother, they hadn’t spoken again until Harry’s name was pulled out of the Goblet of Fire, and that had been only updates on the boy until the Dark Lord returned. The innkeeper being out of the loop with what his brother knew, even about Harry, wasn’t shocking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, the Dark Lord couldn’t quite put something together. Had Harry been lying to him all these years? Gellert demanded, “After the Chamber incident, he sent me a letter saying he was with Fawkes and on the way to your office. Did that happen?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus' arms crossed and he glanced up to the ceiling forlorn, because this was all his fault. Harry had felt the need to go this far, because of his brilliant idea, thinking that if Harry didn't know about his family, then he'd be safe until he turned seventeen. Finally he offered, "In the strictest of senses, the boy and the bird came to my office. He didn't...I didn't...I…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was when it hit Gellert.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone knew that Lord Grindelwald, the Dark Lord and Liberator, who would have risen to power if he hadn't kidnapped one mate, to hold him hostage in Nurmengard for the sake of impersonating Graves in the States, and dueled another, after decades of strife and heartache and a bloodpact made and destroyed, had been imprisoned in his own castle. Most knew without a doubt that he could break out if he ever wanted to, but when both his mates, his first love and the father of his only son, leant their magic to ensuring that he was restrained, it broke something inside of him and he never tried. In the next moment after Albus trailed off, the Order of the Phoenix realized just how easy it would be for the siren to escape, if he needed or wanted to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Gellert's magic was supposed to be confined to Nurmengard's interior, wards faded and Albus hadn't bothered to renew his since the blonde started showing genuine remorse. He didn't know if Graves had, but from the taste of his best friend's magic that suddenly permeated the air through the firecall, the Headmaster doubted it. Not even bothering to look away from his ceiling gazing when the taste of mint and thunderstorms emerged upon the air, Albus took a moment to savor the sensation he hadn't felt, without a fight, since their last kiss prior to the three way duel and Ariana's death, knowing that whatever happened next he'd earned it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You've been ignoring him," Gellert vocalized mostly for the others sake, "Just like you did to Percy for the last century! You bastard! You left our grandchild to fend for himself against the man who killed his parents and ripped our family apart! You absolute piece of shit!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest could only stare in horror when Albus didn't deny it. Still, none of them dared move, not even Sirius' and Remus, who had been raised as nephews to the wizard and knew he wouldn’t hurt them. Everyone was too mesmerized to feel the legendary Liberator's incomparable siren magic lashing out in their presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"For four years you've treated him like any other student! How dare you lie to him and then call me and act shocked that he's lashed out!" Sparks and flames poured from Lord Grindelwald's mouth as he vented, "Doing it to my husband was one thing! He's a grown man and can get on with his life like an adult! But Harry was eleven!! He needed you!!!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus wasn't shocked when the flaming face began to swirl and lash out with a thunderous hiss, before the cyclone Gellert had created sucked back into the fireplace to end the call. Nothing the wizard said was untrue.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't think I'd end this night agreeing with Grindelwald, but here we are," Aberforth sighed, studying his shaken brother, "What does Severus say about you ignoring Harry?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When his Uncle only flinched, Sirius finally put it together, "He's been doing the same thing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All the Headmaster seemed able to get out was a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly Weasley couldn't take it anymore, "What the fuck is wrong with you lot? That boy has needed somebody, anybody, and you have been letting the one person begging to do their job be locked in a jail cell?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Sirius interjected, grateful for the acknowledgment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus growled at both Dumbledore brothers, though he didn't find Grindelwald's inability to communicate justified either, "If you are over fifty, from this moment forward your decision making privileges have been revoked anywhere Harry is concerned!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where in hell has Uncle Percy been in all of this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know," Albus whispered to the lot. He could feel Graves' rage through the mating bond now that it was open, but he'd never said a word to the man in person, and knew better than to ask now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius growled and restarted a firecall to the Director of Security's home. He'd been staying at the man's vacation home off the Mexico coast before coming back when Harry got sucked into the tournament. He knew his godfather had the sort of security that no one could get through uninvited, so he wasn't worried. Unfortunately, the man wasn't home and his public office at Macusa wasn't something that the Order at large could be calling up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, he started a firecall back to Nurmengard and when it was ignored for several minutes shouted, "It's me, old man, answer! Some of us will have to find this kid!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instantly the Dark Lord was back in their presence and calm, at least toward Sirius and Remus, who had moved closest to the fireplace. It was the werewolf who demanded, "What does Uncle Percy know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert sighed, knowing his husband was in a right state, "He hasn't seen Harry since he was a baby, they've only traded letters. Harry has been letting him think that Albus and I have everything under control and life is great."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What does that mean?" Sirius pushed, instinctively leaning towards interrogation tactics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's invited Harry to the States to visit several times, or offered to come here," Gellert confessed, "But Harry always put it off because he had other plans."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because he knew Graves would have him weighed, measured, and found wanting in two seconds flat," Alastor muttered, but no one could disagree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius deduced from his Uncle and Grindelwald's conversations that Harry hadn't lied to anyone, everything he said was true from a certain perspective. If all three of the Deathly Trio, as James called them, had different pieces, then they needed information from Graves pronto. If the man was stuck at Macusa, the vampire's husband and their mating bond was the next best bet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where is he?" The fugitive demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's coming. Workaholic went back into the office, but he's coming as fast as he can."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I need to know everything about where Harry was, every time he wasn't at Hogwarts," Sirius demanded, "Every excuse he ever gave Grandpa Percy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's after ten o'clock at night!" Molly broke in, close to tears, "Shouldn't we send out search parties?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius sighed, "They could be on a different continent right now, for all we know. We need more information."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We should at least send someone to their last known location," Tonks put forth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus wrote down the Dursley’s address and handed it to Kingsley and Alastor, when they volunteered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure beats regular meeting business," Shacklebolt commented on their way out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Harry contacted us for the first time during his first Christmas back in the wizarding world. James' letter assured him that we weren't scary, but that we'd not want to intimidate him, so he should contact us first…" Gellert started when all attention turned back to him sharply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What letter?" Albus broke in, unable to stop himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grindelwald's glare was hot, and not because of the firecall, but he answered, "James and Lily had letters sent to him if anything should happen to them. They found him on the Hogwarts Express. I think Lily picked the time so they could welcome him back into the magical world."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster sunk into the nearest seat, head falling into his hands. Harry had been two steps ahead of him from the beginning. His grandson had forged Albus' own silence into a weapon to be used against him and played the last four years like the ultimate game of chess.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And then?" Sirius kept pushing, unwilling to get caught up in the emotions running rampant, when his godson, son, and their friends were out there alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was it until summer vacation, we all just traded letters,” Gellert explained, “Then, that summer, Percy invited him to the States for the first time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before he knew about the horcruxes?” Sirius clarified, “Before the Chamber incident?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but by the time they had exchanged letters from so far,” The fugitive got the distinct impression that the Dark Lord was shrugging in his castle, “Well, according to Percy, Harry said that he was staying with the Weasleys…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That happened,” Molly offered quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Percy didn’t want to uproot him from friends, so he dropped it,” Gellert told them as he got the information from his husband across their bond, “Then at Christmas, Harry said that he wanted to stay with Albus and Severus for the holiday and, since he thought them to be the family Harry was closest to…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where is that big nosed tosser?” Remus growled, and he was usually the one who put in the most effort with James and Lily’s third mate, “I get the distinct impression he should be here, answering for this travesty as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius snorted, because wasn’t that the truth?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus sighed and rubbed his forehead where his arm was perched on the sofa’s arm, “Summoned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, he gets one pass, but when I do get my hands on him…” Sirius trailed off before his attention returned to Gellert, “And that summer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That summer… Wait, wait, Percy! That’s too much information!” Gellert said aloud, though he was clearly sending the same message across his mating bond. They were asking a lot of the man, to relay information in real time across a mating bond, while completing a firecall, all while stuck in Nurmengard. Finally the siren demanded, “Albus, help me keep track of all this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chief Warlock had been listening to Graves’ relay across his own mating bond, which the vampire wasn’t shielding against by some miracle, but he hadn’t been doing so with intent. Knowing there was more on the line than his nerves, Albus consented and focused in, “Alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry said that he wanted to go and see Lily’s relatives,” Gellert shot a look toward the fae, “The people he was actually living with?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” The Headmaster confirmed with a flinch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Percy thought he wanted to meet them,” Gellert clarified with a grimace, “So he let him go then… He got a letter from Harry. The boy was freaking out because he’d lost control of his magic and blown up the husband’s sister like a balloon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius and Remus couldn’t help it, they both busted out laughing. They’d done far worse back in the day and called it accidental magic. Harry wouldn’t have gotten in any real trouble over that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren smiled at James’ friends, “Yes, yes, very funny. Apparently Percy made a firecall to Fudge and clarified what happened for the investigators. Once the whole thing was dismissed, Fudge offered to check on Harry…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks snorted from where she’d been deposited on the arm of the couch by her husband, “Boy manipulated the three most powerful wizards in our world. Fudge was child’s play.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snickered, “Well, you’re certainly not wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus hummed in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently after getting assurance that Harry was perfectly fine and that he was going to be with the Weasleys,” There was another impression of a shrug, “Percy didn’t want him to feel like it was the Director of Security showing up, because he was in trouble, so he left it alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But we were in Egypt for most of that summer!” Molly declared, looking around at the other wildly, “We only saw Harry when we got back!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus had already caught the phrasing before her exclamation, “Harry said he was ‘going to be with the Weasleys’, but he never said when.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius turned to the scarlet matriarch, “Molly, do you know where Harry was that summer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! I was trying so hard to keep up with all the kids, and spend time with Bill, and…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur broke in quickly, taking his wife’s hand, “He stayed in the Leaky Cauldron, I think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone’s attention turned to the Ministry worker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wizard shrugged, “Fred and George weren’t acting right. They were distracted and had no time for the family, then Harry sent them a letter. He let them know that he was staying there and suddenly both were fine… Ron was peeved for several days that they got the letter and not him, but that’s my youngest boy for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the clock approached eleven, they were all perplexed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He had to be plotting during that summer; that was right after the Chamber,” Sirius told them, nipping at his thumb, “But put a pin in it for now. What about after that, Uncle Gellert?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No offense, sweetheart, but with you on the loose that next Christmas, even Percy wasn’t willing to risk him travelling internationally, and he was leading the manhunt for you in the States.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t fair, but it was where his family had been, so Sirius shrugged it off, “And that summer he went to the World Cup with you, yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur quickly confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert snorted, “No man is going to take that opportunity away from his fourteen year old grandson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t blame him,” Sirius admitted, then acknowledged, “Damn, he’s good. Played all of you like a fiddle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“James would be proud,” Remus concurred.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Sirius pondered that for a moment, “But, why? Why the need to keep Graves in the States?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The werewolf gave him an indignant look, thinking his best friend better than that, “It’s what Alastor said half an hour ago, he needed to keep us from discovering his horcrux hunt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Sirius shook his head, “No, not that first summer after school, and not that next Christmas. He didn’t know what horcruxes were yet. Why keep him at arms' length then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Embarrassment?” Tonks proposed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius wandered over to the younger auror, arms crossed. He would have been towering over her, if Tonks was easily intimidated, though she very much wasn’t. Still, he demanded, “Explain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His father and grandfather were ignoring him,” Tonks shrugged, “From what Remy says about his third year, Severus treated him harshly all the time. He might not have wanted anyone to know that his own family treated him like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A new voice broke into the gathering, “Remus, what did I tell you about letting them bond?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sandy blonde wizard shrugged at his mother in law, Andromeda, “I told you it was inevitable. Those two were cut from the same cloth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Andy sighed with a put on forlornness, “What’s going on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks just used their familial bonds from the Black line to share the evening's revelations.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While they were sharing information, Sirius kept thinking. Finally, he shook his head with another hum, “I think you’re right by the letter, but not with the reasoning. Boy’s got his daddy’s temper; it’s why he tries to isolate when he’s angry. It runs strong in that Potter line.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert, who could feel his husband’s rage, snorted, “I can verify that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s it right there,” Sirius pointed toward the fireplace, “By all accounts when they ignored him, at least after establishing contact with the Hard Charger, Harry had a year in which he could have shoved the full might of Percival Graves up his arse for ignoring him. Why didn’t he?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus accepted the reference to himself with a grimace, but he knew it was an accurate description. Why hadn’t Harry told Graves or Gellert what they were doing? He’d had the chance before he started looking for horcruxes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The only times James ever went silent or sullen was when he was embarrassed,” Sirius admitted, “Few and far inbetween though those moments were. What in the world embarrassed Harry though?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark haired Marauder ended up looking over at his taller counterpart for some sort of revelation, but all Remus could do was shrug. He hadn’t heard of any major embarrassing incidents with Harry while he’d been teaching at Hogwarts, even Severus’ treatment only irritated the boy and didn’t embarrass him; the Potions Master was a tosser to everyone. All he could suggest was, “Maybe we don’t know yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That deflated the roll that Sirius had been on, but he knew Remus had a point, “Maybe Kingsley and Alastor can get some answers from the muggles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shriek called all of their attention back toward the kitchen, to watch as Hedwig came flying in. The snowy white owl came soaring over to Sirius and landed neatly on his shoulder. Spotting the missive on her leg, the fugitive prayed out loud, “Please, let them have had a crisis of conscience and have sent their location.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The letter wasn’t a confession from the boys, but it was new information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My Mate,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All five boys are safe. Draco confirmed for me earlier today that he's known you were his father since his second year. Where the day went from there, I couldn't summarize if my life depended on it. Harry's protective magic on where we are won't let me tell you, but I assure you that you're familiar with the place. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boys don't know that I'm sending you this missive, but it's become glaringly obvious that handling the second generation of Marauders alone is no more in my capabilities, then summarizing this day. I need you and Remus to find us; you'll need Percival Graves to do so.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You tell that idiot best friend of mine, and the Headmaster, that they are morons for ignoring their son and grandson for the last four years, and that it ends now. Harry is too smart for either of them. James and Lily had letters sent to him that he got on the Hogwarts Express at eleven. He has known they were family since the Welcoming Feast, and their treatment of him hurt him deeply, even if he'd never say as much.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please get here soon. With Harry's inheritance coming in at midnight, he needs support from his family.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Narcissa</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius passed the note around for everyone to see and waved a hand to halt Remus, when the werewolf moved to demand that he open his bond. He was already on it. Narcissa still wouldn’t be able to disclose the boys’ location, if magic was preventing her from doing so, but they’d know they were safe every moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bond opening was overwhelming, but the Marauder waited for it to settle and let him converse with his mate. After a few minutes, they started trading what information they could, based on Narcissa not being inducted in the Order and whatever protective magic Harry had used on this new generation’s hideout. Sirius started moving back toward the meeting room as she described what had happened that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert ended the firecall after insisting that Percy would be there soon and that Albus keep him in the loop about anything that happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius grabbed the cup out of the crate, “This was in the Lestrange vault in Gringotts. Narcissa owns it and Draco found that out today. Apparently, the boys had a plan set for one week from today to break in and get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are they out of their minds?” Tonks was flabbergasted at their audacity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cissy seems to think that it would have worked,” was all Sirius responded with, “She also seems to think they’re safe, wherever they have hunkered down, to wait for us to be smart enough to catch up to them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where would they be that you and Remus are familiar with,” Albus pondered, “But Graves is necessary to get inside?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two Marauders looked at one another, but neither had any ideas. Their first instinct was to say that meant it was one of Graves’ houses, but he would know if Harry was there and wouldn’t be rushing to get to the UK. If Narcissa wasn’t worried, chances were they were still in Britain, if not London.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius decided to return to their previous mystery, “What would Harry have been doing in Diagon Alley for an entire summer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Research at Flourish and Blotts?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe, but he would have had to be careful,” Albus told them taking his usual seat at the table and everyone settling in at his example, “I split my time between there and Knockturn Alley after the Chamber incident, doing my own research. He couldn’t have just been doing that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It struck Tonks after a few minutes, “Gringotts!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He only has access to his inheritance vault,” Sirius dismissed the idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The purple haired metamorphmagus argued with him easily, “He only has access to the gold in his inheritance vault. No one ever said he couldn’t go into the Potter vaults.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lot had to admit that was true. There were no rules about Harry not being able to access the other stuff that was in the vaults and information therein, before he was seventeen. He could have taken pretty much anything from the vault, as long as it wasn’t gold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What else is in there?” Aberforth asked. He’d never pushed for much information about the family his daughter married into, neither had Orion, both of them knowing that Percy was born Henry Potter, before taking his mother, Isolt Graves, name to become an auror in the States. It had still been an illegal profession for vampires in Europe. His best friend had Flea and James well trained to take on the Potter lordship the moment they were seventeen and gave his best friends no cause to worry about their daughter’s future.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Artifacts, copies of Lily’s research, James kept copies of the family’s financial records,” Remus recalled, having always helped James manage the family’s accounts, since the auror had been paying his way, while also commuting to the States to work under Graves and being a new husband, and then new father. Though nothing would have ever been enough, the werewolf always tried to help every chance he got, “Property lists, keys, old books, and the cloak, before they went into hiding and James gave it to Albus, then…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, go back,” Sirius stopped his friend, “Property lists, keys… Would Harry have access to all of those before he turned seventeen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm… I don’t remember the exact verbiage of their will. They redid it right after Lils found out she was pregnant; I don’t even think she knew what all was in there at the time,” Remus thought long and hard for a few moments, then finally offered, “But I think so. She was worried about him being irresponsible with money, not stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s why we need Graves,” Tonks put in, “He’s the active Lord Potter. The only other person who can remove the property keys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus groaned, “They owned at least twenty places in the UK alone and it’s… After eleven! We can’t search all of them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright!” Sirius held his hands out, in a halting gesture, “I’m going to change the warding, so Uncle Percy can get in. You lot look back through the boys’ and Narcissa’s notes, look for anything that could give us more information! I’ll be back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Order scrambled through the notes, but Albus' memory meant that he knew every word by heart and he held his ground. He did reach out to pick up the envelopes that the boys had sent, however. A stag, dog, wolf, and rat, with a large and obnoxious ‘M’... He glanced up at Remus, who was rereading Narcissa’s note over his wife’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chief Warlock asked after thinking it through for a couple of moments, “Remus, your signet rings, did they have your names on them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Remus told him without looking up, “It was a big secret back then, because of their animagus forms. Only Severus, Lily, and Narcissa knew, and only because of everyone’s mating bonds opening up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, if Harry found Peter’s ring somewhere, he wouldn’t know that it was his. It could be yours, James’, Sirius’, a spare, but it certainly wouldn’t have to be Peter’s. Correct?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That finally got the werewolf to look up concerned, just as Sirius was coming back into the room to hear the question, “I suppose so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus ran his thumb over the seal, “He could have thought he was giving away their location by using it. This might not be meant as the guessing game it’s become. What properties did Peter have access to?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius sighed, “James gave us access to all of them. If getting to a secure Potter property kept us alive on a mission, he wasn’t going to risk his friends getting killed, if he could prevent it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm…” Albus considered that, “Kind as that was of James, if Peter left it behind for Harry to find, it probably wasn’t meant for him. Where would the three of you have found it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus stood up with a jerk, startling his wife as he moved quickly toward the crate of destroyed horcruxes, lifting it above his head to gaze at the bottom before declaring, “I know where they are!” He turned the crate so that the name ‘Sirius O. Black,' written in glittering gold ink, was facing the man in question, “They’re at the apartment!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s two blocks over,” Sirius muttered, “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You still need Graves to get inside!” Molly called, halting their stride.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Marauders cursed at the reminder. If Harry’s magic was strong enough to keep Narcissa from talking over a mating bond, then they definitely needed Lord Potter to pull the keys. They collapsed back at the table, arms crossed, in petulant unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re never gonna get the key and get there by midnight,” Remus muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Keep the faith,” Sirius suggested, “Graves has worked bigger miracles than this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where is he?” The werewolf growled at Albus, a testament to his displeasure and being grounded by the timing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chief Warlock shrugged, “He got the first trans-atlantic portkey that he could. He’s apparating here as soon as he’s clear of the Ministry wards.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we at least wait for him outside?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Sirius. You don’t need to be going at all, but that ship sailed when Draco signed that note as Black.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’re not wrong,” Sirius drummed his fingers on the table, “... We could at least wait in the entryway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Padfoot, I swear on my son…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright!” Sirius slumped in his chair, arms recrossed, so that he could lean his head back against the chair’s back. He’d just talk to Narcissa about this mess until his own godfather got there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks squeezed the back of her husband’s neck with one hand, when she could tell the werewolf rolled his eyes by the way his head moved. At the same time, the metamorphmagus couldn’t stop a bell-like giggle at the grown men’s antics. She had never actually met Percival Graves, though most aurors dreamed of the opportunity, so saying the witch wasn’t excited too would have been a lie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Andromeda smiled at her daughter’s enthusiasm. When she had been disowned, her Uncle Orion and the Dumbledores had been the only family that she had left. And the loss of them, with her uncle’s death and Sirius’ arrest, had crushed her. But, in another life, Tonks would have grown up with the lot, including Percival Graves, as grandfathers, due to his friendship with the mated Orion and Aberforth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doorbell rang twenty minutes later and Sirius rushed from the room to open the door, like any good dog, according to Remus’ commentary as he got up to follow. The werewolf’s wife rolled her eyes and glanced around the room, “Like his head didn’t just come to attention like a English Pointer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I heard that!” Floated back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks’ hand flew to her mouth and she cursed, even as the witch moved to follow her husband, “Always forget the werewolf hearing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the Order chuckled as they moved after the trio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius tore open the door to take in his favorite uncle. Which, given the disgrace Albus Dumbledore currently found himself in, that was no surprise, but Percival Graves had always been his favorite regardless. Where the fae had preferred his sister, once she was rediscovered as family at fourteen, Percival Graves and his husband had been hiding the Marauders out from Aberforth Dumbledore’s rage for years.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire didn’t hesitate to pull him into a hug, although the Director did mutter, “Should you really be the one opening the door?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Sirius was opening his mouth with a smart reply, a bluish and translucent porcupine came scurrying by both men’s shoulders, in a hurry. The patronus made its way over to Albus Dumbledore before it stopped and opened its mouth to release a message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Theseus got a note that claimed to be from his mate and led to the arrest of Peter Pettigrew…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See, I would have been fine,” Sirius pointed toward the patronus, earning him a cuff upside the head from Graves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...And I didn’t want to encourage him, for it to just be a ploy, but I remembered that Harry’s fifteenth birthday was tonight. Then Tina said you’ve had drama with him. Does this sound like something from his arsenal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before tonight,” Albus muttered, “I would have said no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also, Queenie took the note to Nurmengard and I think I’m going to head that way too,” Newt’s voice wrapped up, “But, if there’s chaos you’re usually holding the reins, so I wanted to keep you in the loop. If you need help with the search let me know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snorted as the porcupine disappeared, “The mastermind of chaos, perhaps. Holding the reins, never.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus’ only response was a sigh. It wasn’t exactly like he could object though, was it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dear God,” Percy muttered as he took in the message, then he decided to just finish the prayer, “If you will let my grandson be mates with Theseus Scamander, I will take back every bad thought I had about the redhead in the last hour and a half.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he crossed himself, Albus felt his head tilt, “I didn’t know you were Catholic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Graves’ responding grin shot right to the spot it shouldn’t given their current situation, but with the bond open, Albus was powerless to stop it, “Well, the list of things you don’t know, Copper Top, could fill volumes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster blushed, “Fair enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we please get moving?” Sirius demanded, “I’d like to get to the apartment before Harry’s inheritance renders him someone his own godfather can’t recognize!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy rolled his eyes as the boy transformed into his animagus form, still a fugitive at large for the night, “You know it doesn’t work like that.” A bark was his only response before Sirius started out the door, forcing them to follow. When he realized that only the Marauders and Aberforth had moved to follow him, Percival turned back to his mate, “You coming?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm…” Albus didn’t think Harry would want him coming to the apartment, honestly,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Catching the thought across their bond, Graves rolled his eyes and waved him out the door, “You two are going to have to talk eventually. Might as well get it over with tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tonks shut the door behind the five wizards, leaving her with just her mother, the Weasleys, and Teddy sleeping upstairs. She couldn’t believe the audaciousness of Remus’ nephews or their friends. The metamorphmagus knew the Weasley twins were sprite young men, but this was beyond the realm of pranking and plundering, even for them. And young Mr. Longbottom didn’t look to be the slouch Snape cited him as, if he was running with that crew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Certainly beats regular Order meetings,” Arthur proclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cannot believe the twins,” Molly muttered, pacing the room, “They have no business hunting horcruxes, letting Harry do so, or sneaking off to send adults dead animals!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pulled it off, didn’t they?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arthur!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s got a point, Molly,” Tonks put in, “I mean, Harry’s been manipulating the three most powerful wizards in the world, while taking on Voldie piece by piece! I cannot wait to see this kid again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How would you feel if it was Teddy?” Andy demanded, “They could have gotten hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So could Teddy,” Tonks argued, “So could I, or Remus. There is a war on. No one is exempt, no matter what path you try.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The healer sighed, “I never should have let you read Lily’s first article.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her daughter’s only response was a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Molly decided to go home and drug her husband with her. There was no reason to wait for Alastor and Kinglsey, as any updates they found would be sent to Albus directly in the form of a patronus. And the Order’s leader would use the same method if there was an update concerning Harry’s or the twins. They’d either be home, or with the very elite group of wizards, once they were found.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With the Weasleys leaving, Andromeda told her daughter to go and get Teddy, to spend the night at her house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Mum,” Tonks tried to wave her off, “We're in the Order’s headquarters. We’ll just wait for Remy to get back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No you won’t!” Andy corrected her, “The only reason that I tolerate this place is because Sirius has always been here with you and he’s Lord Black now. With him gone, it’s creepy and you, and my grandchild, are coming home with me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mum…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! I don’t care if you’re a grown woman and an auror! I’m your mother and I said so. Now, move it!!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The metamorphmagus threw her hands in the air in surrender and moved up the stairs with a low whistle. After grabbing their son, she sent a quick patronus to Remus telling him where to meet them, before leaving with her mother. The woman might be getting up there in years, but she and Molly did not play games when it came to their children.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Confrontation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Walking into Gringotts with Percival Graves, Albus Dumbledore, the fae’s younger brother and heir, and Sirius Black in an animagus form, was one of the most surreal experiences of Remus’ life. And he’d been a Marauder who got into just as much shit as his friends, despite what his cherub-like demeanor as a student naturally suggested. He had the contradictory memories and low detention record to prove it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, having all that attention on him made the werewolf cringe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percival Graves noticed and chuckled, “Never let them see they’re worth your notice. Paying it back in kind is the worst thing you can do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus grinned when the taller man winked at him. He’d missed James’ grandfather and Sirius’ godfather. The man always treated him like family and gave him the same advice he had James and Sirius without reservation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy and Albus started making for the nearest goblin, but they were surprised when Sirius trailed off in another direction. Forced to follow him, the other four wizards rolled their eyes at how poorly the fugitive took to acting like a real dog. The bank was largely closed, but there were still some night shift goblins, who’d lucked out to receive the graveyard shift.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahh, Lord Dumbeldore,” The goblin, Griphook from his nametag, didn’t show a bit of surprise at Albus having deaged. Such a proud race would consider themself above being surprised by another magical race’s ‘tricks’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Griphook’s eyes did widen, when he looked over to the rest of the party and realized Graves was in attendance, “Lord Potter and Graves, an honor, sir. I did not know you were gracing this city with a visit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just arrived within the hour, actually,” Percy confessed, “A bit of a family emergency.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bark sounded below the dest and the goblin rose to take a look. He hummed at seeing the black dog, “Hmm, I should say so. Lord Black, we were pleased to get a decree from the Ministry proclaiming your innocence, just a bit ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy snorted, “The poorest kept secret this side of France, godson. Up you go, I suppose.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius changed into his human form with a snicker and acknowledged the Goblin behind the desk, “Thank you, Master Griphook.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your lady mate was in earlier,” Griphook disclosed, “I serviced Lady Black and your son. She also sent me her decree of divorce, which I was just processing now. It will be filed momentarily.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, that was a relief, and Sirius expressed as much, with his gratitude, before Graves took the conversation back over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need to check out one of the keys to a Potter property.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, my lord, this way please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He led them into one of the private conference rooms to wait, before leaving to bring out the Potter family keys. They had been waiting for a couple of minutes in silence when a wolf patronus came flying in to find Remus. The whole lot laughed at his wife’s exasperation with her mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey sweetie, Teddy and I are going to Mom’s because, apparently, she said so. A full trained auror can’t possibly keep her two year old safe without Lord Black present! Good luck with the boys, we’ll see you soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will never be okay with being called that,” Sirius muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth snorted, “Speak for yourself, I’m thrilled. Your father would be too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The previous prisoner was well aware that his father never thought he would grow up enough to take over the Black lordship. Lily wanted nothing to do with her title at the Dumbledore heiress, nor the opportunity to become Lady Black, as, having been treated as a muggleborn for four years, she thought that bloodstatus was irrelevant. And Reggie, well, he’d never had the confidence required for a seat in the Wizengamot. At the end of the day Orion Black’s one disappointment had been that none of his children wanted to carry on the family seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius liked to think that his dad was right, and that his father would be thrilled with him finally taking his place. He was mostly doing it for that alone, before tonight. Although now there was a sick satisfaction to being able to make Lucius Malfoy the laughing stock of Britain; that was a plus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Griphook returned quickly with a key ring that was about half full. Percival didn’t have time for that mess, so he used the summoning charm for the key to Jimmy’s old address at that apartment and when the key made the ring float, unsheathed it. He clutched the small gold key in his hand that wasn’t gripping his wand tight; the Director just wanted to see his grandson in one piece.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Receiving all of the information from Gellert and Albus, as they put together what Harry had been up to, it made his stomach roll. Harry had no business thinking he could handle horcruxes at… He glanced down at his watch to see that it was five minutes past midnight. Fifteen! Harry was fifteen years old! The vampire might have wanted his grandson to grow up faster, because James had been well meaning, but a goof until his mating bonds opened, but this was ridiculous. Harry shouldn’t be making grown up plots at fifteen!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master Griphook,” Sirius asked as the others got ready to depart, “Could you file my claim for custody of Capricornia Magicka?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That started Graves out of his thoughts. He hadn’t known that Narcissa had another child, but he did know that it would kill the girl and Gellert for Vinda’s great-granddaughter to be slapped with the bastard name of magicians. They would have claimed the girl before they let that happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, sir. It will be filed a mere moment after Lady Narcissa’s petition.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are a young goblin, Master Griphook,” Sirius pointed out, “Any plans for retirement?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No time soon, Lord Black,” The Goblin confessed, clearly confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need a Goblin willing to take on the Black family accounts,” Sirius told him, “And your assistance today has been greatly appreciated.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Greed was a language that goblins spoke well and Sirius knew how to play the game, even if he’d never wanted to. They’d already missed the midnight deadline, so there was no reason to leave Harry and Draco’s financial futures unaddressed. He saw the gold practically shining in Griphook’s eyes and knew that he’d been successful. The animagus wasn’t sure what it meant when his godfather got a similar light in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed, my nephew is right,” Percy nodded, “Would you be willing to take on the Potter accounts as well? I’d like a couple of years to get them in order, before my grandson comes of age and is left with a mess to clean up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am manager for Lady Longbottoms' accounts,” Griphook disclosed, “It would be an honor to take the other two legitimate Peverell accounts into my care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The use of the word legitimate wasn’t missed. Voldemort would forever be cursed in the wizarding world for his mother’s choices. Though marriage contracts like what Orion suffered with Walburga were ancient and archaic assurances, the truth was that being born on the wrong side of the sheet, unclaimed by a family name, was horrifying in magical circles. Hence, Sirius’ rush to claim Narcissa’s daughter under the Black name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Dumbledore brothers shared a look. They didn’t often worry about their family seat, but since Harry was their heir, the two were struck by something that Percy had said. It wouldn’t do for them to leave a mess behind for Harry to clean up. Albus had started doing that work when Lily was rediscovered at fourteen, but he’d given up when she rejected being an heiress, knowing he’d have to wait for Harry to be old enough to accept. Clearly that time was upon them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While they hadn’t done much financial building in recent years, since Aberforth opened the Hog’s Head Inn, actually, being heirs to Godric Gryffindor still spoke in gold, “Hmm… I don’t like the idea of Harry’s accounts being managed by different persons. Would taking over the Dumbledore accounts be too much, Master Griphook.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Certainly not, my lord.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That still lives the Prince and Grindelwald accounts,” Sirius reminded them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus rolled his eyes, “You lot are going to give our new friend a stroke.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My enthusiasm is only to aid in any way that I can,” The Goblin told them, but his mouth was almost salivating. For being a relatively young Goblin, he’d just become the most important and rich individual in the bank, with the accounts that he’d already agreed to take on, “It would be no problem to manage all of Young Heir Potter’s accounts, along with the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all knew that the work was actually a gracious plenty to ask of anyone, but with the wealth he’d just acquired, they were all sure that Griphook was about to have lackeys for his lackeys. None of them were motivated to challenge him, however. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy chuckled and held up his left hand, “Well, this band is useful for some things. I can approve a change in management for the Grindelwald accounts. The Prince line, we may have to wait for Severus to grace us with his presence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus agreed, too much had happened tonight to not compromise Severus anyway. He’d pull his adoptive son out of spying once they met back up, “Expect a missive within the next couple of days, Master Goblin. I’ll have Severus move the Prince accounts to your management as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I look forward to speaking with Lord Prince,” Griphook nodded, all but skipping as he led them out of the private room. If heirs of Godric Gryffindor spoke gold, then the heirs of Slytherin bled silver, “Master Snape has always proved most prudent in the management of his mother’s family seat, from what I’ve been told.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percival turned back to Sirius as they walked across the bank floors, “Back into a dog, young man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been declared innocent!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To ministry officials and Gringotts,” The Director clarified, “I don’t trust the masses anymore now, then I did yesterday, or I will tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not wrong, Sirius,” Albus agreed with his mate, “You will have to allow a couple of days for news to circulate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, ugh,” The shortest of the four wizards muttered before transforming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus resisted the urge to pet his friend, knowing that he hated it in public, “Don’t worry, Pads. It’s only a couple more days! You’re a free man now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks to your godson, if Newt’s right,” the Chief Warlock interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percival hummed, “I wonder what all of that was about. If Gellert hadn’t started shielding I’d ask him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus would never admit it, as they crossed back into muggle London, but he was relieved. When Gellert’s shield went up after Graves arrived, he hadn’t been familiar enough with the differences between muted bonds and someone shielding their mind to know the difference. There was no doubt that he deserved his mates’ ire, but the bonds were such a comfort once open that he’d been sad to lose them, as quickly as he’d re-engaged with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s half past, now,” Aberforth pointed out, looking at his watch, “I wonder how much Harry has changed. Gods, I hope he doesn’t go scarlet. He does not need the hair to match that temper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re as bad as your son,” Percy dismissed his best friend, “Monumental changes are very rare and deeply rooted in identity. Harry’s never expressed to have a problem with the way he looks. Gellert always says that it’s a blooming, not a change in flower species.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Forgive me for arguing with the flower guru,” Abby dismissed, “But given the list of things Harry has hit us with tonight, nothing would surprise me. He couldn’t completely change genders and say it was too much of a hassle to try and talk to any of us, or that it would have gotten in the way of his plan.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second option sounded too much like Gellert for Percy’s liking and made a knot form in his stomach. He hoped Harry wasn’t unhappy with himself in such a major way. Of course he’d always love his grandchild, it wasn’t that. It was just… The thought of Harry not coming to him with anything had been a night long ache.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Besides,” The younger Dumbledore brother jabbed a thumb at his counterpart, “I’ve already got a lifetime of listening to the Flaming Flamingo over here. I don’t need the poetic waxings of the Flaring Fiend to brighten my day as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Graves and the Marauders busted out laughing, unable to believe what Aberforth Dumbledore had just called his legendary big brother or The Liberator. Of course, the Director had heard the names over the years, but that made them no less funny. But, it was the younger wizards first time hearing the titles; or, if Sirius had, he’d been too young to understand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Check yourself, goat boy,” Albus broke in, with a hiss, “Even I tell Gellert that he’s the gayest person I know. I might have a magical bird who bursts into flame on command, but Gellert Grindelwald’s flare is like setting fire to a Niffler’s nest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy busted out laughing once more, “That is beautiful, may I use that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus snickered, “Sure, but just know that he’ll remember exactly where it came from.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two mates grinned at one another in a way that held a certain fire behind it. Sirius and Remus shared a slightly disturbed look, unaware if their uncles were allowed to look at one another like that in their presence, mates or not. Catching their glance and the sudden exchange between his big brother and best friend, was what finally drew Aberforth Dumbledore’s attention to the look they were giving one another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Abby shoved himself between the two men, where they had gravitated toward one another to walk, “If the two of you want to get your act together, you do it when we’re not in the middle of a crisis, far away from me, and have the decency to use a silencing charm, like all other mates!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright,” Percival batted the wizard’s hand away where his best friend was smacking him, “I’m sorry. Let’s just go check on Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Harry, remember him?” The bar owner demanded of his best friend, “The kid he’s been ignoring for the last four years? Anger, fury, channel it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, especially when he saw the older fae flinch at the reminder, Percy told the dark haired Dumbledore, “You know he wasn’t trying to hurt him. Ignorance could have protected him, if Jim and Lily hadn’t given the kid a leg up on all of us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth sighed, “You know, for someone whose constant companion is supposed to be rage, you have very brief interludes with the emotion when you do get pissed off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take that as a compliment… Here we are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius and Remus both made to snatch at the key in Percy’s hand, which he settled the same way that he had since they were children, raising it above his head because he was still taller than both. Pushing both back with his other hand, he told the two to grow up before making for the front door himself. Moving up the stairs, he wasn’t surprised to see a Dumbledore brother take to one of his shoulders each, leaving the pouty Marauders in their wake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Moving up the stairs to the second floor was a bit like walking through a ghost town. Not that the building hadn’t been kept up beautifully and not that it wasn’t full of other tenants, but they had all made this trek before. For Sirius and Remus, they’d been running to escape the three men before them, with James and Peter in tow, and for the older trio, they’d been tracking their wayward teenagers down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was odd that this hadn’t been their obvious assumption, but all three of the experienced wizards assumed that had to do with the fact that Harry had rewarded this place out the wazoo. That was good though, it meant that he understood the magnitude of what he’d been doing for the last couple of years. Especially if this had been his headquarters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knocking would do nothing but worry the residents inside, so Percy just put the key in and unlocked the door. Once it was unlocked, however, he waved Sirius forward. At the younger man’s shocked look he shrugged, “Narcissa can sense that it’s you and everyone will relax. Chop chop, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius stepped up to the door and suddenly he was frozen. It wasn’t a big deal. He’d handled Gringotts, was a free man, and technically he’d been talking to Narcissa all night. Just…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sirius Orion Black,” Aberforth hissed, “I have two grandchildren behind that door. Open it, or I swear on your son’s life, I will put you through it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The animagus huffed, taking a moment to look back at Remus, where the werewolf had moved to put a hand on his shoulder, “You see what the motivational speeches were like in my house. Sirius get off that broom, or I swear on your brother’s life… Sirius, get off that bannister, or I swear on your father’s life… That second one only worked fifty percent of the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus laughed, even as he reached forward to put his hand over his friend’s on the door knob and turned, then kicked the door open with his other opposite foot. As soon as the door opened he started pushing Sirius into the apartment so that everyone could get inside. The sight that greeted them was pleasant enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa jumped in Lily’s chair and had a wand pointed at them as soon as the door fully opened. She dropped it relieved as soon as she saw and felt that it was really Sirius. The witch was moving toward her mate for an embrace and kiss as soon as their eyes locked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco was sitting before the fire, hands wrapped around his legs as he chatted pleasantly with Gellert Grindelwald of all people, who had firecalled the residence, in a pair of Slytherin silk pajama pants and a white tank top. To all of their shock, he had the Slytherin crest tattooed on one shoulder and, from the little bit Sirius could see, the Black family crest on his left shoulder; the same place the animagus and his father had theirs. He wasn’t expecting that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy’s friends were scattered around the room. The twins were working on some sort of ear and Neville was choking on a hit from a blunt where he’d been surprised by their entrance. Everyone was accounted for except for Harry. All of the other teens had very familiar red and gold lions roaring on their right shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where is he?” Remus asked Neville, who he’d always had a particular fondness for. He missed Frank a great deal and the boy was remarkably like his father. Always suffering more from getting in his own way, then any real form of anxiety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Longbottom heir chugged some water and then answered quickly with a thumb toward the back, “Just went to his room. He’ll be right out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Poor boy sounded like they were Death come to call without Harry there. And with Percival Graves, a moving tower, going to lean on the wall next to the door with his arms crossed, Remus could see where that was a fair assumption. He just wanted to see Harry in one piece, as he closed the door behind all of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert decided to break some of the tension, “Husband.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t warn us you’d gotten into contact with them?” Percy demanded with a grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I look like your errand boy?” The Dark Lord demanded sassily, well aware that the vampire would play along.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’ve always preferred life as a rent boy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert tried to cut his eyes at the Director, as the teenagers fought to stifle a laugh, but his grin beheld his lie, “Albus, slap him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster didn’t even hesitate before asking in Hungarian, “Pontosan hol?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tease,” Gellert eyed them both, glad to see his mates in the same room and having talked. He’d still like to see them do a lot more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred and George glanced up from their invention, whatever it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t Harry’s grandfather teach him Hungarian?” George asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He did,” Fred clarified, “We should ask him what he said.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t subject him to that if you paid me,” Geroge told his twin, once the three legends looked appropriately worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred concurred, “The tone was plenty enough for me, as it is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco scoffed from the floor and rolled his eyes at his parents, who were still lip locked, “I thought spring fever would be over by now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius only broke his mouth from Narcissa’s when a familiar gagging noise assaulted his ears. He’d done it enough times to his own parents to know the gesture.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred snorted, “If they’re anything like our parents…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d get used to the sight, mate,” George finished. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hush, all of you,” Cissy dismissed them, “Neville, dear, would you go get…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck this noise!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It sounded so much like James, lively and full of heart, that Percy was perfectly excited for those to be the first words he’d heard from his grandson since the boy was a baby. He laughed quietly and looked up the hall, the fifteen year old not even realizing they were there as he pulled healing gel off a very familiar tattoo, eyes locked on it. Although he had a medium build like Jimmy, unlike the tank that Gellert always accused Percy of being, every muscle on Harry rippled under brown skin. His dark curly hair was longer, curling to touch his shoulders, and the Director could only compare it to the pictures that he’d seen during the tournament.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Extension charms are useless against this shit,” Harry hissed, voice extra silky as he gained a siren’s silver tongue, “I finally just grabbed a pair of Dad’s old sweats. One more inch and they’ll fit perfectly anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco glanced back at his friend, but didn’t seem in any hurry to warn him, “I’ve already hit the six foot mark, I’m a first rate tosser! Bloody prat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be jealous, Dray,” Harry chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy couldn’t say for sure if Harry’s voice had just deepened with the siren inheritance, but the way the other adults’ heads tilted at the change, he was going to take a guess that was a yes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry opened a cabinet to throw the peeled healing gel away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville opened his mouth to warn their friend, but Draco cut him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going for the wand tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” Harry shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Longbottom heir wasn’t having any of his Slytherin friend’s games though, “Harry, for the love of the gods, look up! I’m about to have a stroke here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry did just as his friend asked and, to be fair, he didn’t even look surprised, even as his head tilted and he took in the ensemble. After that, he turned to look at Neville to ask incredulously, “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got to be kidding me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nev,” Harry pointed a vee toward Albus and Gellert’s visage, where the Headmaster had moved closest to the fireplace and his best friend, “I’ve been playing them like morons for four years. They aren’t as smart as they like to make people think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Watch it!” Gellert told him off, though there was no heat to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry turned his attention to Remus, who hand wandered over to Neville’s loveseat, “He’s been enjoying this since he found out I wasn’t in danger. Don’t let the awe shucks, I was a Hogwarts professor, vener fool you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus scoffed and took Neville’s blunt, relighting it, and offered, “You can’t prove anything,” before inhaling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mastermind jerked a thumb in Sirius’ direction where he was clinging to Narcissa like an octopus, “He’s about to be too busy…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say it,” Draco cut him off, “We all accept your premise.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cissy blushed, but didn’t bother to correct them. She’d already accepted that there was no stopping this lot once they got on a roll.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry waved his hands in surrender, “Fair enough,” before he pointed to Aberforth, “And all he’s going to do is yell, I refer you to Dad’s note about the tattoo!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger Dumbledore brother moved to the coffee table that his grandson pointed to, so he could look at whatever note Harry was talking about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the table was the exact copy of Albus’ tattoo that the Marauders had taken to Diagon Alley when they got the lion on their shoulders at fourteen. Golden fur and a red mane roared proudly all the time, but when a Gryffindor touched it, the beast became a tame domestic, while it snarled and snapped at anyone else. Only now, there was a note beside it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My Son,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Get this on your right shoulder by midnight and you’ll uphold the Marauder family tradition. Don’t mind Grandpa Abby’s yapping, we survived well enough despite his temper tantrum. And tell Draco to get the Slytherin crest like his Grandpa Orion. Aunt Cissy won’t even be able to say no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Love,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dad</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth couldn’t help it, he busted out laughing. Sirius got curious and demanded what he thought was a letter from his father, which the man handed over without hesitation. The animagus got a little misty over it and only passed the picture off to Remus, which the werewolf traded off for his blunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cissy tried to scold her mate, but she was still grinning in his other arm, “Sirius! That is not a good example for the teenagers, honestly you two.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Sirius confessed without remorse before inhaling. It was such a foreign sensation after fourteen years that he almost coughed, had it not been for some form of muscle memory kicking in. Finally he exhaled, “But, if I’d known when my father said ‘may your sons end up just like you’ that it was an actual curse? I’d have earned that place in Azkaban over his dead body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even Aberforth snorted, because his husband had shouted that to Sirius’ back for twenty-one years, and the boy was finally getting his tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville drew their attention back to his conversation with Harry, “And the powerhouse of Macusa? The man who has single handedly reigned over the States for a century? The first vampire auror on record and the wizard who managed to be Director of Security in 1880? The Hard Charger, himself?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Percy could have blushed, he would have.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius snickered, “I’m getting that on a plaque and jinxing it to haunt his office.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry only shrugged, “I made him get a trans-atlantic portkey at ten o’clock at night for the sake of making a point. Admittedly, he might be a little p.o.ed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful,” Neville huffed out exasperated before his voice raised for emphasis, “Out of all your grandparents, you manage to piss off the most powerful one!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Longbottom heir saw the moment Harry flinched and dropped to the kitchen counter, head clutched in his hand. His friend’s own hand flew to his mouth ashamed, “I’m so sorry. I know I’m not supposed to yell!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And by yell, he meant to use any sort of emphatic tone of voice. Ever since midnight any sort of elevated tone made Harry dizzy as the room spun and he got a headache. But, since he was a seer and knew that he could dream awake to get his mating dream, the Potter heir hadn’t wanted to lay down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was across the room in a second, hand going toward his grandson’s back to comfort him. That only resulted in one of the twins shouting no and making the spins worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“George,” Harry hissed, though his voice cracked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry,” the twin in question whispered, grabbing a joint and bringing it over. With a snap of his fingers, the boy’s thumb lit like a lighter and he placed the burning item between Harry’s fingers across the counter, in the hand that wasn’t cradling his head. Once Harry inhaled a hit, George explained, “My masterpiece has less than a minute and I wasn’t having him fuck up all that work. Legend or no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other twin, Fred, wandered over and leaned across the counter to whisper to Harry, “Death doesn’t negotiate and neither does the diva about his artwork.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to make Harry feel better more than anything because the young siren giggled out  his current inhale. Percy was just confused and looked back at Harry, trying to figure out what they were talking about. As soon as he looked, the answer was obvious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A massive tattoo of the Deathly Hallows symbol, composed completely of animals, took up the boy’s back. Along with words that were originally founded by the Graves family, but which the Potter family took over as well when Percy’s father, Percival Potter, married heiress Isolt Graves. The latin above the symbols read ‘Mors Nec Pacisci.’ and below read ‘Neque Nos.’ Translated to English it meant ‘Death does not negotiate. Nor do we.’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking closer at the tattoo, Percy saw that the six notches of the elder wand were made up of a stag, doe, Siberian musk deer, black dog, werewolf, and weasle. At the top of the wand, where it met the top of the triangular cloak, was a mighty lion, but unlike the one on Harry’s shoulder, it was all black, with gold flecks, and piercing green eyes. In the bottom left corner of the cloak was a large kodiak bear, and in the right corner was a white direwolf. Where the bottom of the wand met the middle of the triangle, were two foxes with interlocking tails.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the cloak was filled in with other animals. A unicorn, a basilisk, acromantula, hungarian horntail dragon, and white owl filled in all the space between those animals. Looking closer, he could also spot a stray jack russell terrier, otter, badger, and white rabbit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The stone was unique as well. One the top half were an auguery, phoenix, American turul, and a raven. Then the bottom half was made up of a large black hound, a tabby cat, a niffler, and a sea turtle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was touched that Harry knew the Graves family symbol and used the bird to represent him. American turuls were associated with death and mist; they were living birds that looked like nothing but a black eagle’s skeleton with silver eyes that could summon intense fogs and fed off of the life force of other creatures. And Aberforth had told him that his mother used to refer to him as the augurey of their family. The bright red, orange, and gold phoenix that was asleep next to Hedwig on the balcony made Albus’ representation easy, and seers were associated with and could control ravens, so Gellert wasn’t a mystery either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what half of the animals represented, but Percy would gladly spend hours asking questions to find out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director hadn’t even noticed the Dumbledore brothers wandering over to see what he was looking at, until Aberforth went to shouting that it was all Sirius’ fault, without thinking. Percy turned to glare at his best friend, as Harry had just been relaxing, the teenager doing the exact same thing, but instead they both turned to see Albus Dumbledore whack his brother upside the head. Harry flinched a little at the sound, but mostly he laughed, especially when Aberforth opened his mouth to apologize and no sound came out, only for him to realize that the Headmaster had put a silencer on his brother using wandless magic.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The innkeeper stomped his foot in objection, but Albus only shrugged, “I’m sorry, but everyone else got the memo not to shout. Deal with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abby crossed his arms petulantly when no one took up for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry groaned, “I’m not going to make it until noon tomorrow. What time is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mint and storms once again permeated the air and Harry’s shoulders visibly relaxed at his powerful siren grandfather letting him leech off of his stable, fully formed magic. Percy and Albus shared a look. Neither knew how to do it, as Harry had clearly turned this place into a bit of a fortress of his own, but they needed to get him to Nurmengard. Young wizards needed family magics when they came into any inheritance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius looked at his pocket watch, wandering over still with his other hand holding Cissy’s, to see what his father was caterwauling about, “1:07am, pup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh fuck,” Harry inahled again, “How has it only been an hour?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You realize most people sleep through this whole experience with a pain potion, yes?” Percy demanded, “You can sleep the next eleven hours off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The way shit’s popped off today,” The siren huffed, “No way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus leaned on the counter next to him, opposite Percy, “Nothing is going to happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No sooner had the words left his mouth than a familiar Lynx came charging in from the balcony, spooking both birds, and speaking in Kingsley Shacklebolt’s voice, “We’ve got trouble…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course we do,” Albus muttered, closing his eyes for a brief moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry burst into snickers next to him, the other teenagers following suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The patronus didn’t stop for long, “Death Eaters attacked the Dursleys while we were scoping out the place; we had to summon Special Operations. Before they arrived, the Dursleys were killed and Severus was sent, with a freed Bellatrix Lestrange, to infiltrate Grimmauld Place…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry and Draco shared a look; both knew it was no great loss. That would be harder to explain to the adults.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, Teddy,” Remus gasped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He wasn’t there,” His best friend reminded him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He could have been!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, he wasn’t. Breathe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Alastor and I followed them back and managed to subdue Lestrange,” Kingsley explained, “She’s back in custody, along with Scamander’s team arresting the Lestrange brothers, Rosier, and Nott from the Dursleys, but the Dementors have turned. Azkaban is compromised...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Albus cursed, “That’s going to be a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...But, the Special Operations team saw him at the residence. News will break of his return in the morning. The war’s back on,” The patronus ended with that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," The Chief Warlock amended,"Nothing is going to happen that we can't handle."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy agreed with him, "Harry, you have to sleep. Being awake while your magic is unstable isn't healthy. At least let's get you to Nurmengard with Grandpa Gellert?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh please, gods, yes," Cissy said, largely without thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That made it very hard for Harry to argue. They had put the witch through the works all yesterday and it had become obvious over the last couple of hours that she was family to his grandfather. Sharing looks with all of the boys, they finally consented as a group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only witch of the outfit moved quickly to wake up her daughter for the trip, while leaving the wizards to help the teenage magicians with their things. Fred and Remus packed up Harry's trunk, while George peeled the healing gel from his back and cast a final charm in the massive tattoo. Neville got up to loiter by their mastermind, giggling as Aberforth Dumbledore pointed to Harry, before poking at his brother harshly and repeatedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, I know," Albus waved him off, "It's all my fault… You realize they've never even seen mine?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All five boys sprung to attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry led, "You have tattoos?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His younger brother went to pinch the bridge of his nose exasperated, but the Headmaster only shrugged, "Yes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps he didn't expect the same reaction from fifteen year olds that he'd gotten from an eight year old Sirius and James, but he'd been wrong before. All five boys swarmed around him begging like they were on a street corner, but Albus only dismissed them when Harry got the spins, "We can talk about it when we get to Nurmengard."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, you'll show us when we get to Nurmengard," Harry countered, back hitting the counter as he tried to get his world to stop moving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll talk about it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We'll stay here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus looked positively affronted at being negotiated with in the middle of a crisis and Percy chuckled, while there was a distinct snort from the fireplace. Even Remus and Sirius shared a grin and Aberforth smirked at his brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just show them, Albie," Gellert recommended, "After all, it's been four years, the boy's bound to be curious."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Such a fair, yet dirty play was just out of his mate's repertoire, but Albus sighed, "Fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius turned to check out the floo connection, "Alright, we used to have a direct connection to Nurmengard. Have you changed anything?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shook his head, "No. I never opened it before tonight. And only partially. I had a vision of Grandpa getting pissy because he couldn't get through."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus had suspected all night, ever since he got Newt’s patronus, but that was the first time he’d heard Harry say something close to a confession, “You’re a seer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah,” Harry had the audacity to blink sheepishly at his fae grandfather for forgetting that part of this circus, despite having orchestrated the rest of it with a grin and wink like any good ringmaster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you are,” Albus started marching toward the fireplace, “This is all your fault!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t figure out how your dumb arse didn’t know!” Gellert insisted, “Did you have a stroke when you saw him at the Welcoming Feast? Lockheart get to you and we didn’t know it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Possibly,” George cut in for the last one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are still waiting for an apology for that entire year,” Fred agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You and every other student and professor I ever spoke to,” Remus huffed, “What happened there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus shrugged, helping Sirius open up to floo completely, “He tried to erase part of Newt Scamander’s memories, but we didn’t have proof. It was the only way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s sad when the Death Eater was a better teacher than that twat,” Neville commented, pulling a face of disgust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert snorted, but moved them along, “I’m going to pull back and await your arrival.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who all is there?” Percival demanded quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just Queenie and Newt,” Gellert disclosed before disappearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director was disappointed, but he hadn’t expected much else. Theseus was probably up to his ears in work and wouldn’t have a moment to simply pop by Nurmengard. Still, ever since the younger Scamander brother suggested it, he couldn’t give up the hope that one of his best and fiercest friends would be Harry’s mate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of the boys seemed to pay any heed to mention of Newt, however, and he was sure they’d give up something if any of them had sent the note to Theseus. Finding one’s mate was one of the biggest events for individuals with mating bonds linked to their magical inheritances. Percy was well aware that they’d been playing a much larger game before the previous day, however.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d ask G once they got to Nurmengard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Deciding that was the simplest solution, the vampire moved to where Albus and the original Marauders, he supposed, now with he teenagers claiming the title as well, where the wizards were discussing the order of sending people through. He interjected quickly, “Send Cissy through first. Then the boys. Sirius and Remus can go last, before Albus and I lock everything up here and follow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have to go to Andy’s,” Remus cut in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Percy acknowledged, “You send a patronus when you get there. Capice?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need to go to Hogwarts,” Albus told him, biting at his thumbnail, “Severus must have gone back there to keep his cover and avoid the Ministry, when Alastor and Kingsley took in Lestrange. He may have more information about what happened at the Dursleys that he couldn’t send through a patronus.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director knew that was true, “Harry didn’t seem too shaken at the death of the family that raised him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From what I’ve heard in the last couple weeks,” Albus sighed, “I’m not surprised. Apparently they weren’t great individuals.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From everyone’s reactions over the course of this night, Percy was inclined to agree with that assessment, but it was too vague for the investigator in him. Harry wasn’t likely to open up until he slept off the next few hours though; across the room where the teenagers had gathered in the kitchen and their grandson was putting on a tank Draco handed him, the boy was struggling to stay on his feet. That was something to look into later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If Severus tells you anything useful, pass it on to G and I?” Some part of Percy wanted to make sure the fae before him didn’t just shut down their bonds again and disappear. He was fond of Albus Dumbledore actually talking to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be the first two to know,” The Headmaster blushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius and Remus shared another look. Lily could have died happy, with Albus Dumbledroe and Percival Graves finally acknowledging one another, and clearly having a connection. At the same moment, James was probably rolling over in his grave, as the Marauders would have lost quite a bit of money at the two finally speaking, had anyone ever been keeping count of how many times they claimed it would never happen. What were their lives coming to?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Graves knew that his son in law was long overdue for a conversation with Harry as well and requested, “If you can, drag him to Nurmengard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or don’t,” Harry suggested, while Fred was lighting him a joint to smoke quickly before they had to go, “That works too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going on another adventure,” Narcissa saved any of the wizards from having to respond to the commentary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>None of them were really sure how to bridge the gap between Severus and his son at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, thank you,” Capri yawned, “I’d rather sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of them busted out laughing, the noise making the little girl curious enough to raise up from her mother’s shoulder to look around the room. She didn’t seem to quite know what to make of the older men huddled by the fireplace, though they smiled at her and seemed nice enough. Looking toward her brother and his friends though, they all looked relatively the same, other than the pretty pictures that were drawn on their shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Capri put her arms out for Draco and was quickly received. She took in the silver snake on a green background that was constantly swirling around to end up in the shape of an ‘S,’ before it opened its mouth to show long fangs. Curious the toddler tried to trace the animal, only to find that it stopped hissing and let her trace it, before it felt like its tongue flicked gently at her finger tip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gasped and looked up at Draco, before trying again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like you’re a Slytherin, kiddo,” The teenager told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See, look what happens when I touch Harry’s lion,” Draco showed her how the cat snarled and snapped on Harry’s shoulder, “But, when Neville does it…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gasped delighted when the cat became a domestic under the Gryffindor’s touch. Capri reached over and grabbed Neville’s hand, placing it against Draco’s tattoo, and giggled as the snake struck out at him, “Can I get one of those?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Narcissa told her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius chuckled, “Not until you’re fourteen, sweetie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sirius,” Cissy glared at him, “Seventeen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah right,” The wizard dismissed with a snort. Like that was ever going to happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Remus laughed before starting to make his farewells, “Sirius, try not to get into too much trouble with your mate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snorted as he hugged the werewolf goodbye, “Yeah right!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy realized in that moment that he’d never gotten his hug. The Director certainly felt some type of way about it. He hadn’t seen the boy since he was a baby; he wanted his hug!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus decided quickly, “I think I’ll head for Hogwarts with you, Remus. Best to stay in a group, after all.” The Chief Warlock gave a shout of surprise when someone kicked him in the shin. Glancing over, he realized that Aberforth had finally gotten fed up with being silenced, “Oh, I suppose it’s that time; needs must and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry and the twins had collapsed onto the sofa in stitches at the sight, as Sirius was collecting his godson’s trunk. He wasn’t too sure if it was a good idea to have the emerging siren travelling via the floo network while he was coming into his inheritance, but everyone couldn’t have possibly hunkered down here in the apartment. They’d have to risk it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aberforth Dumbledore glared at his brother as the tosser finally released his silencing spell, “Arsehole!” He looked over at his grandson and pulled the boy into a tight embrace, “Now that I’m allowed to speak again… I’m never going to approve of you getting a tattoo at fourteen, but, since your dad ensured that I can’t yell at you, I’ll just say it’s very artistic and suits you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wrapped his arms around the man who had been hiding their weekly meetings for two years, even if he hadn’t been fully aware of their plots. Aberforth Dumbledore had never tired of hearing their boring complaints about class, or the weirdness that was Hogwarts, as he served them drinks. This was the man who always had one more embarrassing story about the Headmaster, whenever Harry came in frustrated and angry at Albus Dumbledore’s antics in ignoring him, no matter how much of it had been well intentioned, “Thanks, Grandpa.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus couldn’t stop grinning at the pair. He was ecstatic for his brother, seeing the way that Abby teared up when the genuine affection and love that Harry had for him strummed across the younger fae’s natural empathic magic, it was a touching moment. The Dumbledore family had been so fractured for so long, and Albus knew that he’d made it worse by ignoring Harry, but still, he hoped that once they could really talk, he could also build a similar bond with Lily’s son. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, the Chief Warlock was nothing but genuinely happy for his baby brother. Those feelings were challenged by the deep feelings of jealousy and irritation that he felt strumming along his mating bonds. Given the strife and turbulence that had always been Gellert and Aberforth’s relationship, it was only natural for Albus to assume that was who the feelings were from, and it took him a moment to realize that the harshness was coming from his bond with Graves instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at the vampire, confused, and it took him a moment to put it all together. Abby’s best friend wasn’t jealous of the inn owner, only that it wasn’t him. That was fair enough; especially from the grandparent Harry clearly had kept away the most to fulfill his schemes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Abby finally pulled away, “Alright, off to the Blonde Terror, you go! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right,” Harry turned to his scarlet grandfather and couldn’t even be surprised when the man froze with no idea what to do. He rolled his eyes and pulled the Headmaster into a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone suddenly had a million things to be doing to give them their privacy. Percy and Aberforth banned together as they had for years, while Remus was pulled into Sirius’ formal introduction to his children, so that they could meet their godfather. Neville dropped down with the twins, trying to explain the inner workings of the human ear to the two hard heads.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We are fine,” The teen whispered in his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally shaking back to time and space, Albus pulled Harry in tight, “We are far from fine. I’m so sorry, Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger Gryffindor pulled away slightly, though they were still almost nose to nose, “I really could have told you about Mom’s letter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” He placed their foreheads together, “You shouldn’t have had to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus pulled back and kissed Harry’s forehead, “Now, go bug Gellert.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just think unholy terror!” Abby agreed as he made for the door with his brother and Remus, “And channel it right up his…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Percy cut his friend off. He rushed them out the door and shut it, before relatching the lock, “One of these days they’re going to be in the same room again. Mary and Morgana help us all!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius snorted, where he still had one arm around Draco, “Who are you telling? I love my old man, but those two shouldn’t be allowed on the same continent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wouldn’t mention the stories that his Grandpa Gellert spun late at night, when he snuck out to Nurmengard without the band. The nights that they’d snuggle up before the fire and the Dark Lord spun private tales of that summer back in 1899, before the three way duel. He’d always gotten the impression that no one else had ever gotten those stories and he only had because he was both the Liberator and Albus Dumbledore’s only grandchild. The kid who’d managed to be both of their bloodlines despite the fact that they hadn’t been together, were opposed, for almost a century.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The stories of the Dumbledore siblings and Gellert Grindelwald spending that summer together, everyone enjoying the company of each other before the fight, they weren’t Harry’s to share.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we go back to bed now?” Capri demanded from Sirius’ arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucius Malfoy never had any interest in a child that wasn’t his heir; Narcissa was pretty sure Capri couldn’t pick him out in a crowd if her life depended on it. So, telling her that Sirius was her father and that he’d been taken away, but that Draco and his friends went on their adventure today to get him back, was more than enough for the girl. Allowing that she’d helped when Harry and Neville had taken her to the Shrieking Shack had cemented her enthusiasm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to go to Grandpa Gellert’s castle, then you can go to sleep,” Narcissa promised, moving toward the fireplace. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine,” Capri accepted easily, then she seemed to think better of it as her tiny head tilted, “The staircases aren’t going to move so I fall to my death, are they?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Draco!” Cissy shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my defense,” The teenager didn’t even try to deny it, one finger going up for emphasis, causing his father to look anywhere else but his mate to poorly hide his amusement, “I was trying to scare Blaise’s ten year old sister; we didn’t even know that she was in the room!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch grabbed a handful of floo powder and marched inside the fireplace with her daughter, “Nurmengard!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shout made Harry visibly flinch and Percy offered his arm to stabilize the teenager. Knowing they were taking a risk even letting Harry do this as he was in the middle of getting his inheritance, the Director wanted it over with post haste, “Alright, you’re next.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would rather eat dirt,” Harry muttered petulantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough, but you’ll be fine,” Percy encouraged, not daring to let his own worry show in his voice or actions as he gently pushed the teenager toward the floo, “If it’s any motivation, Grandpa Gellert is waiting on the other side with potions that could knock out a dragon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That actually helps a little, thank you,” Harry offered, wandering over to take a handful of the powder. Knowing he just wanted to do this right the one time, he stated clearly, “Nurmengard!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The swirling vortex of terror that was the floo network was bad enough on normal trips. This was absolute and shere agony. Somehow Harry managed to land on his feet and stumble out of the fireplace in his grandfather’s suite, right into Gellert Grindelwald’s waiting arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert had his magic fully opened to surround Harry the moment he landed and he’d threatened to remove anyone’s tongue who talked until the boy calmed down from the experience. Not Cissy, of course, he’d already sent her off to the suite he’d prepared for her, Sirius and Capri; Draco would take his usual room in Harry’s suite. He was just grateful that his grandson survived the trip in one piece, honestly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that his voice would calm the young siren, rather than stimulate him, however, “You’re alright. Just take a deep breath.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was clinging to him in what would have been a hug, if the poor thing’s nails weren’t digging into his back so desperately. The Gryffindor was just pliant enough to get him moved to the sofa five feet away before they got plowed over. As they sunk down onto the cushions, Harry’s growing and unstable siren magic was sucking off of his grandfather’s like a battery, unmoving from his clinging position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older siren reached for the pain potion on the table next to his seat and ordered Harry, “Take this.” Harry grumbled something incoherent, but Gellert didn’t need to know what he said to hear that it wasn't consent, “Now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One hand released its grip on the Liberator, who popped the cork with his hand that wasn’t stroking Harry’s hair, to take the offered potion. The small cream coloured potion swirling with tiny black grains, poppy seeds, was downed in one go with an astuteness that Gellert had only seen one other place. He laughed at the recollection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your father is all business when it comes to his potions too,” Gellert confided, “Gets them over with; the same with his alcohol. I’ve never seen anyone who can down something vile with the ease you two can; you definitely take after Severus that way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Green eyes finally glanced up at him, though they were glassy, “Why do you have to insult me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert shook his head at the teen, picking up the joint that he had ready as Harry’s potion wouldn’t kick in for about an hour. It was just his luck that the twins came through next, the first being, “Fred, dear, light this for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a snap of his fingers the Weasley did just that, kneeling in front of Harry, “You alright, mate?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry waited until he was exhaling to answer, “I’ll live, if that’s what you’re asking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George grinned as the smoke cleared from his arrival, “After this day, I’m pretty sure that’s all we can hope for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville and then Draco, followed quickly by Sirius, all arrived in quick succession.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poor thing, I cannot imagine having to use the floo when my full legilimency was developing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was what finally drew all of the teenager’s attention to the witch and wizard sitting at a small table, just off the grouping of furniture where they’d landed. Harry recognized Queenie Goldstein from his earlier vision, but Newt Scamander had deaged to a cherub-like curly blonde; his coat still gave him away. The developing siren had no idea what any of these adults knew, so he was grateful for an excuse to play dumb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boys, meet Queenie Goldstein and Newton Scamander,” Gellert introduced, “Queenie, Newt, I’m sure you’ve spotted my grandson, Harry. These are his friends, Draco Black, Neville Longbottom, and Fred and George Weasley.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each boy raised a hand in greeting when their name was called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Weasley?” Newt was quick to voice his excitement, “Any relation to Charlie Weasley?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Our favorite brother, as a matter of fact,” Fred told him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George continued, “Only one we choose to claim, as it were.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t get to meet him a couple of years ago,” Newt disclosed, “When he took a baby dragon off my protege, Rubeus Hagrid. Always hated not getting back from the States in time!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry chuckled, “We’re very familiar with Hagrid, he’s a good friend. He gave me my owl, Hedwig.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh wonderful! Well, your brother’s work on changing the guidelines for dragon handling is unparalleled,” The magizoologist jumped up to talk to the twins, “Would he be interested in meeting one day for tea?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>George snorted, “Name the time and place, Mr. Scamander, and he’ll be there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If he doesn’t have a heart attack first,” Fred agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Queenie sighed, frustrated as she moved to sit on Harry’s other side from Gellert, leaving her brother in law to his dragon talk. He was supposed to be helping her fill out young Harry for information about his involvement with Theseus’ predicament. Gellert hadn’t been able to say for sure, getting no vision from reading the note.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius was fluttering worriedly in front of the teenager, while his blonde and dark friends stood guard behind the sofa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Sirius,” Harry dismissed, trying to smoke and wanting the man to stop fussing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert sent his other nephew off to check on Cissy and Capri, earning a thrum of gratitude from Harry across the familial bond that was forming between them. The teenager slumped against him, perfectly used to demanding the Liberator’s attention whenever he wanted it, which led to the siren leaving an arm wrapped around him. He could tell that Queenie was just waiting to investigate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, Gellert was well aware that Harry sent that note. He’d know the boy’s handwriting anywhere. But, she’d asked for his psychic opinion, of which he’d gotten nothing, so there was no reason to sell out his grandson.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus and Harry could talk it out in their mating dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t know exactly what to call Goldstein’s relationship to his mate, as sister in law was only applicable to the witch’s sister, but he did deduce that she was not subtle rather quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Harry, are you excited to get your mating dream tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everyone’s been talking about what a big deal it is,” Harry shrugged, “But I was raised in the muggle world, so I’ve never had much reason to worry about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahh, that makes sense,” She offered, studying for the slightest reaction, of which there was none, “Anyone special you’re hoping for? Perhaps a girlfriend at school?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say there is, Ms. Goldstein.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Queenie’s lips pursed on the other end of the sofa and Gellert lifted his glass of firewhiskey to his mouth to hide his grin. Harry was very good at this, not so much as tensing once. If he hadn’t known the boy was guilty as sin already, the older siren probably would have thought him completely innocent as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, surely a handsome gentleman like you at least has an ideal…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was cut off by the floo firing once more and Percival Graves stepping out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amid the noise of the floo firing, Gellert leaned down to whisper in his grandson’s ear, “It’s quite amusing watching you do that to someone else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rather than responding, Harry nudged his head gently under the older seer’s chin, not unlike a large cat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director took one look at the scene taking place on his couch, from Goldstein’s interest in his grandson to Gellert’s amusement, and stepped in to put a stop to the interrogation, “Leave him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t fight a grin at having the Hard Charger come barreling to his defense. He sensed Draco and Neville sharing a similar beaming look behind him. A shriek outside alerted him to have one of them open the window, “That sounds like Iggy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In many ways, Queenie hadn’t aged a day since they met, as the silver haired witch stuck her tongue out at Gellert’s husband, before getting up to join in Newt’s conversation with the twins. Neville and Draco took off to let in Harry’s owl and Gellert wasn’t surprised when Percy dropped into the spot that the woman vacated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That didn’t stop the siren from feeling his mate’s jealousy at how close he was to Harry across their mating bond. Gellert fought not to snort. He was well aware that Harry had been keeping his husband at arms length for years now, but the truth was that he also knew how much the fifteen year old worshipped and adored the Director. There was absolutely no need for jealousy, but he could tell it wouldn’t be that easy to reassure the vampire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy ran a hand over Harry’s hair, “Are you alright, Little Prince?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yawning out an exhale, the Gryffindor nodded, “I’m fine now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Control your crony,” The vampire hissed at his husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Dark Lord only snorted, “She defected, I hold no power over her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their attention was drawn back up when Queenie exclaimed, “Oh, how beautiful!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hedwig had no time for the witch’s compliments, however, as she flew into the room and directly to Harry. She landed on his leg and, after studying him for a moment, nipped a strand of curly hair. Obviously the snowy owl had been concerned, though Gellert still hadn’t been able to figure out how she arrived so quickly whenever Harry came here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, girl, I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Queenie came over to see the gorgeous creature up close, “She’s just divine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Harry warmed to the witch, now that she wasn’t prodding him for information, “Thank you. She was my first gift that I can remember. Say hello, Iggy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the instruction, his wonderful girl glided up to the legilimens’ shoulder with a small call and landed on her shoulder. None of the others who knew Hegwig were surprised by the way that she preened and snuggled up to Queenie’s face in greeting, but the woman was. She was awed by such a friendly specimen in a very particular species.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Giggling, Queenie turned to show off her new friend to her brother in law, “Newt, look at her!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What she turned to wasn’t her typical friend. Newt had his arms crossed suddenly, and he was all but glaring at Hedwig as he muttered, “Yes, I see her,” before stomping toward them. She was glancing at Gellert bewildered, but the wizard didn’t seem to have any more answers then she did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Newt eyed Harry, “You said she was a gift from Hagrid, did you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm… Yes,” Harry confirmed, trying to get up to get Iggy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy put an arm out to stop him from leaving Gellert, knowing the boy needed the man’s siren magic to feed off of, but used the same no nonsense tone that he had with Queenie moments before, “Newt, stop worrying my grandson over his owl.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed to startle the magizoologist out of whatever mood had suddenly taken him and he turned to Harry with an apologetic grin, “I apologize. When did he give her to you, exactly?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still apprehensive, the teenager allowed, “About four years ago; he took me to Diagon Alley before I started Hogwarts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see,” Newt stroked Hedwig’s feathers looking closer, “And her anklet is lovely. Where did you get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm… I didn’t,” Harry dismissed, utterly confused, “Hagrid must have, or she had it before he bought her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Newt’s tone was extremely clipped to all the adults in the room who knew him, though it wasn’t necessarily unkind toward the children, as he straightened to his full height, “Come along, Queenie. We have to stop by Hogwarts; I have a half giant to give a piece of my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought we were going to make the workaholic sleep?!” The witch demanded, confused as she moved toward the fireplace, hastily passing the owl off to the closest person, who happened to be George.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s next on the docket,” Newt told her, throwing a handful of floo powder down, “Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry about him,” The legilimens said, moving quickly to follow in a burst of green flames.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco snorted, “I know that Luna said her grandfather was weird, but that man takes the cake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that?” Harry demanded, scooping his owl up from George and stroking her feathers like she might have been hurt by the oddness alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever it was, it’s over now,” Percy told them, “G, go tell Sirius that we’ve sent the teenagers to bed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lot offered the expected groans and gripes as the man’s husband moved to do just that, but they also started up the stairs for Harry’s suite of rooms, which was next to Gellert’s master bedroom. It showed that they were all positively exhausted by how easily the five cooperated. Percy herded the other four to their separate rooms, then followed Harry to his, determined to get his moment with his grandson if it killed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sending that exact message to his husband, the vampire wasn’t surprised when Gellert assured that he’d skip the goodnights and be in their room when Percy was finished.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Albus apparated into his office and landed on the balcony as he always did. It was night time and, with Hagrid gone on a mission until the morning, the only other people in the school were Severus and Minerva. The witch was asleep and wouldn't know to come looking for them until Abby told her the truth; of course, the old friends usually had lunch on Mondays, so that was really only a few hours away. Realizing that Harry had sent that crate to the order not even six hours ago, was a harsh pill to swallow, as it felt like a lifetime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes came bursting into the space on his golden perch with a pleasant enough call. Albus hadn't really acknowledged the bird since he delivered Harry's prank. Discovering that his familiar knew the mistakes he was making and stayed in cahoots with the boy had ruffled the Headmaster's proverbial human feathers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hence his willingness to apparate all this way instead of travelling with the phoenix.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting in front of his desk was Severus, not that such was a surprise. After all, he needed to know what happened from the time they'd separated until now from the spy's perspective. The surprise was the open bottle of Cognac that he kept for emergencies sitting on the desk, half empty where it had been full, and the glass halfway to Severus' lips as the young man took him in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire had paused to take in his surrogate father's change in form. He was startled, though most would never know it, as the man had still been looking like a Merlin want to be when he'd headed for the summons, and Albus for the Hog's Head. But, it wasn't even the oddest thing Lord Dumbledore pulled this week.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright," They both said in unison. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus finished lifting his glass and took another swallow, while Albus moved behind the desk, to the waiting glass the boy set out for him, and filled it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From his new perspective, the older wizard noticed the crate of horcruxes sitting across the room on his side table; Severus' mask lying there beside it. With a hum he pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk and took out the diary, then, taking his drink with him, he marched over to drop it unceremoniously inside and slammed the lid. There, now the brat had his full set, though Albus did remove the note, because that was his grand memento of this travesty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus snorted across the room, just as Gellert did all the way in Nurmengard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Chief Warlock started to shield so that they could talk privately, but paused when he felt Gellert's nerves from the prison, as the Dark Lord waited for Harry and the others to arrive. The man was afraid to be blocked again. Knowing he more than deserved such doubt, Albus just promised he'd  reopen the bonds as soon as he and Severus finished, knowing that was all he could do for the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reclaiming his seat he decided to ask first, "How much do you know about our end of things?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus drained the rest of his glass before refilling it, "Shacklebolt gave me an update, before they took Lestrange back into custody from Grimmauld Place. Harry’s been hunting all of his horcruxes and they’re in that box.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus hummed, thinking about the horcrux in his grandson. He didn’t want to, but it wasn’t as if the blasted thing was going away. Logically, if Harry had managed to pull all of this off, then there was a good chance the boy already knew about it, but there was also a chance he didn’t. If not, there was no longer a reason to keep putting the discussion off; his grandson deserved the truth from him. Wasn’t a thing he could do about it tonight though, so Albus pushed forward, “James and Lily sent him letters. He’s known I was Lily’s father and you were his Papa since the Welcoming Feast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vampires didn’t do things like blush, or pale, but their eyes were still very expressive. Severus’ onyx coloring made him even harder to read then most, but the Headmaster had been doing just that to the thirty-five year old since he was eleven, trying to understand the Slytherin and get his confidence. Eileen Prince had been good friends with Aberforth, and Albus had been desperate, after the kidnapping of Lily as an infant, to complete any task his brother asked of him, so he’d taken Severus under his wing early on. Knowing the stoic man he’d become, seeing him so close to a panic attack was hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How… Why… If… Oh gods…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Breathe, Sev,” The older man instructed, “He’s fine… Hell, he just finished hugging me and saying that we were fine. I think now that he’s made a point of outsmarting us, and making sure we know it, there aren’t any hard feelings there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire’s eyes darted to him, “Do you know what they did to him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Dursleys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fae’s brows drew together, “No, just what you and the other Marauders told me about when you met Petunia.” Albus was confused when his son gave him a horrified sneer and it took him a moment to realize what he’d said, “You were part of that generation, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus scoffed, “Perhaps, but I was not one of them. Lily, Cissy, and I were better than that,” The professor corrected him, then he added, “As was Reggie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, the Chief Warlock sipped at his drink before waving the boy on, “Forgive me, you were saying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was just a normal meeting at first,” The vampire returned to his previous somber attitude and his drink as he spoke, “He was irritable when we got there, but not desperate. Said some valuable possessions might have fallen into enemy hands and informed Lucius that he’d sent Peter to check on Narcissa, because she had something on par with the diary, that he’d foolishly left with the moron.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tom had been going for the cup then. If the boys hadn’t pulled it when they had… Albus didn’t want to think about that option.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Spent a while torturing him for mismanaging the diary, then something changed. I don’t know exactly what happened, but he started vomiting,” Severus shook his head and met gazes with those legendary blue eyes, though there was no twinkle at the moment, “When it stopped, he refused to wait for Peter. He sent Lucius to get Narcissa and Bellatrix and her husbands to track her wedding rings that the twat admitted he had a tracer on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus drained his glass and refilled it, still speculating on how in the world all of this led Tom to the Dursleys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lucius sent back word of Peter's arrest, but he suggested that Narcissa had made a run from the manor with the children. I suggested that was likely, as she was extremely devoted to the cause," Severus sipped at his drink, "Is she safe?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," The older wizard chuckled, "I'd love to see him try to get to her in Nurmengard with the Liberator and Hard Charger both in attendance."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn't take a genius to figure out that was where his father would have probably stashed Harry as well, especially with the boy coming into his inheritance tonight. Severus didn't know for sure what inheritances his son had, but it seemed likely with him destroying all of the horcruxes, before midnight, that siren was at least one of them. He'd needed to finish the bits of the Dark Lord’s soul off, prior to his magic becoming unstable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire relaxed a bit, knowing that Harry was safe in the Austrian castle, while he was in Hogwarts. He might actually catch a few hours sleep with the knowledge, despite what he'd learned earlier tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, he is still trying to track her, but it's because he believes that she's firmly on our side and on the run," At the Chief Warlock's confused look, the vampire continued, "We heard from Bellatrix next. She didn't know how, but she claimed that her sister had discovered the home of Harry Potter's muggle relatives and left her wedding rings behind, so that we could track them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How in the world could that have happened? Harry and the boys would never have left them behind. They were too smart to leave something like that behind for Death Eaters to track, the teenagers had more than proven that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he'd first left Harry there, Minerva suggested that they were very greedy sort of people. If Harry had left the rings in a public place nearby, it was possible one of the family found them. Maybe the boy's cousin had even seen him take off with Draco and seized the rings. There was no love loss between Lucius and Narcissa, obviously, but he never would have let her be seen with shabby wedding rings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sad as it was, the likelihood that the Dursleys brought about their own demise was great.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He had kept myself, Rosier, and Nott behind with him," Severus sighed, "When we arrived at the house the boy was already dead. The wife was being tortured, but the man had been left in one piece…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire finished off that glass as well, "...I knew the Lestrange family had mnemosyne blood, but it never occurred to me what that meant. Not until they conjured up shadows of black sand that acted out my child's worst memories in that house… Things that would have turned my own father's stomach."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus flinched at that comparison. Tobias Snape had murdered his witch wife during Severus' sixth year, although the death had been declared an accident. He'd spent every minute of his days after the news broke trying to get custody of the man before him, and when he'd failed and James talked all three of his mates into eloping, so that Severus would fall under his protection, instead of his father's, Albus had been so relieved for the young Potter's plotting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The woman never touched him, but the man," The glass shattered in his hands, blood pouring and spurting from cuts on every finger and inch of his palm, "He used his fists, feet, belts, knives. It was…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the silence that followed, Albus rose and rounded his desk to perch on the other side, grabbing his son's hand to start healing it. The hand he could do something about, but not the tears of blood that ran down the Potions Master's face, no matter how much he'd read about how painful crying was for vampires. No comfort could fix this, so he demanded, "Keep going."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They were proud of what the muggles had done to him. Excited to think of the Boy Who Lived being put in his place."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But not Tom."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He looked at me and asked what I thought," The young wizard growled, his fangs extending, "I told him that we either had as much respect for our enemies, as we did our allies, or we were no better than the muggle."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And then?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He agreed, but reminded me that I was too valuable a spy to take part in such activities," Severus gulped, pulling his healed hand away, "He sent Bellatrix and I to Grimmauld Place, since she had Black blood and could get in. He said to blow my cover if necessary, but to find the locket that Regulus Black stole from him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus had no idea what that meant. Reggie had disappeared, but he never knew that was connected to Tom's horcruxes. He'd have to ask Harry, "Did Bellatrix see the crate?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, we snuck in the back door, but Mad-Eye and Shacklebolt already had a killbox waiting for her. She was out before she saw either of them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever he did to them, it wasn't enough."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"On that we agree."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Poppy once came to me, she was concerned because Harry always had a glamour magic on, always," Albus pinched the bridge of his nose, "But, when she asked and he told her that it was to make his scar less noticeable, because he hated people staring at it… I foolishly told her not to worry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You couldn't have known," Severus cried another strand of bloody tears, "He didn't want us to know. And why would he? After the way I…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, he loved you despite the fact that you wouldn't acknowledge him, because you never could resist showing that you cared," The vampire shuddered, "I became my father."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You would die for that boy, Severus. Give yourself a chance, please. If not for me or yourself, for James and Lily."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think that an apology will be adequate."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then your love will be. He deserves to hear that from the one parent he has left."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both wizards jumped when the floo fired behind Severus' back. Albus wasn't surprised when the younger man resolutely kept his face toward the wall, never willing to let anyone else see him so emotional. Leaving his son to the professor's own devices tonight was not an option.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the smoke cleared, the Headmaster was surprised to see an incensed Newt Scamander take one step to the right before demanding, "Where is Hagrid? I need to throttle him!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was barely time for the oldest wizard of the lot to open his mouth, before the floo fired once more, "Honestly, Newt, what was that? That's no way to treat the boy who could be your brother in law. What will Theseus think?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He'll understand after the thrashing," Newt proclaimed, before his attention returned to the far side of the room, "Produce him!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Even if I wanted to, he's on a mission and won't be back until the morning," Albus corrected himself upon remembering the time, "And by that, I mean after dawn."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The magizoologist gave a fae hiss at that information, "Alright, fine. It's just a stay of execution, anyway. Come along, Queenie. We have a brother to render unconscious."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As quickly and belligerently as the wizard had arrived, and with as little explanation, Newt threw a handful of floo powder back into the fireplace and shouted for his brother's office at the ministry. Queenie threw her hands into the air, exasperated, and turned to see if the Headmaster had any answers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He did not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch huffed, grabbing a handful of the powder herself, "If I'd known back in the thirties that it would end up coming to this, I'd have let Gellert string him up by his toes when he offered!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus was grateful that her comment managed to pull a laugh from the both of them. He reached over and brushed a thumb along each of the boys cheeks, using magic to clean his face. Severus wouldn't have normally allowed it, but between the alcohol and brutal conversation, he didn't seem to have any fight left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the fuck was that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I suppose we'll have to wait and find out in the morning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I suppose you're going to have to tell the giant and Minerva something about what Harry's done tonight."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus hummed his agreement, "Do you want to sleep over in the guest room?" It was a testament to how truly finished Severus was that he only nodded and made for the portrait of Merlin, which was a short cut to the Headmaster suite. Waving him on, the older wizard disclosed, "I have to tell Gellert and Percival."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once his son was beyond the portrait, Albus dropped his shield and tried to confess all to the two wizards across their bond. He was surprised when Gellert silenced him, though it was playful, insisting that Percy was trying to have his moment. That got feelings of petulance from the vampire, but not much else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked like they were trying to put Harry to bed at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Albus tried to insist that it was important and about the teenager. When the Dark Lord demanded to know if anyone's life was in danger, the Chief Warlock snorted. He had to admit that ship had sailed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry barely noticed his Grandpa Percy trailing him to his room. Still, when he arrived, the vampire loitered in the doorway as he stripped off his shirt and started rummaging through his snack drawer. When he turned and the man was still where he’d been before, Harry was confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can come in, you know,” The seeker flung himself on the bed and wrapped his black blanket with a gold snitch around himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy chuckled and moved into the room. It was just like James for the boy to take his shirt off, but want a blanket. The contradiction made him smile as he sat down on the end, “Feeling anything yet?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Harry looked at his watch, tossing the package of store bought treacle tarts between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grabbing one, Percy stared at the treat, having not eaten one in over a decade, though Harry had mentioned them as favorites in their passing letters, “These were Lily’s favorites too. Jim preferred anything chocolate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teen beamed at him, “I did not know that!” He stopped for a moment, but finally started again, “Hey, Grandpa Percy, did…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he stalled again, the vampire looked up to see that he’d talked himself out of asking whatever it was, “You can ask me things, Harry. I’m not scary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That earned him a funny look, “I don’t think you’re scary… Well, I mean, Death Eaters quake in terror, sure. But, you’re not scary to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy hummed, “So that very long list of concerns from Neville earlier? What was that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That wasn’t concern,” Harry waved him off, “Those were accolades! You’re a badass, not scary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While the admittance made him ecstatic, the Director pushed forward, “Alright, if I’m not scary, what were you going to ask?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Gryffindor shrugged, “It wasn’t that I thought you were scary, I was just curious about something dumb… “ When his grandfather wasn’t swayed Harry huffed, “I’ve never heard anyone else call Dad, Jim. Was that just a you thing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm…” Of all the things Harry could have asked him, that was not what Percy was expecting. But, green eyes shined as they waited for an answer and the vampire was weak so, “Well, actually, there’s a bit of a story there, to tell you the truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked positively delighted as he rolled over onto his stomach and looked up at the other man, munching happily on his tart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he could have blushed, Percy would have matched the Ilvermorny banners at the moment, “Okay, early on in your Dad’s fourth year, he snuck out and got that very same tattoo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned when he pointed to his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, earlier that day, there was this huge international conference; it was nothing but meetings all day long. You never got to meet Grandpa Orion, but he was my best friend. We were just making our way back to my office to leave for the night, when your Grandpa Albus joined us in the elevator.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fourth year,” Harry put together, “Before or after Mom discovered that she was their kid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you two haven’t ever spoken before tonight, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not in the flesh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh no!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As you can imagine, it was a very awkward situation,” Percy told him with a huff, as the fifteen year old pulled a face that clearly agreed with him, “It was made even worse by the fact that the Flaming Flamingo didn’t even have the decency to acknowledge me, or Orion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy didn’t share with Harry, even as the boy rolled with laughter, that Gellert was also laughing in their room, or that Albus Dumbledore was utterly indignant where he’d just stopped shielding, finally alone in his office at Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not the best with the whole confrontation thing,” Harry muttered, rolling so that his head was resting on the older man’s thigh, so he could gaze up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you telling?” The vampire demanded, thrilled at the boy cuddling up to him, “You think you’ve had it bad for four years? I almost made it a century!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That only made the boy’s laughter worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, we’re standing in the elevator and Orion gets pissed on my behalf, as well as his own,” Percy laughed at the memory, recalling, “Actually, Newt’s wife and my other best friend, Tina Scamander, was there too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had to ask, “Is she as… umm…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Percy answered without waiting, glancing over at Hedwig who had come up with them to perch on the red chair in Harry’s room for the night, “To be fair, I don’t know what that was earlier either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus, as he waited his turn to tell them whatever he'd discovered, offered a strum along the bond to say that he'd drag Hagrid and Newt to Nurmengard the next day, to explain. That wasn’t the point of the story though, so the Director got back to it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, Orion got pissed, so he starts talking about your dad being named Quidditch Captain that summer; a perfectly normal conversation for us to have! If he hadn’t called your dad ‘Jimmy,’ that is,” Percy smiled at the memory, “And if you could have seen Albus Dumbledore's snotty, obnoxious, overly academic face when we called the Liberator’s heir, Jimmy, well, I’d never felt so vindicated in all my life… Wound up being the day that spurred me to end my separation to Gellert too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t breathe and neither could Gellert, while Albus was cursing them aloud in Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s petty and vicious and I love it!” Harry exclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ruffling his hair the older wizard assured, “You may look like your old man, but that comment was all Little Copper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Green eyes were getting glassier as Harry’s potion started to kick in, but he was still a bit from sleep as he demanded, “Were you close to Mom too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clearly the potion wasn't kicking in as expected, if Harry was putting the nickname together that quick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew her well,” Percy laughed, “She was determined to get me and Grandpa Gellert together with Grandpa Albus. Their wedding was like dodging a basilisk’s glare when he and I didn’t speak to one another.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snickered. He’d gotten sporadic visions of his mother from people like his father or Remus, but few actually spoke of her. It was nice to see someone actually acknowledge that she’d had a fiery temper to match her hair and his dad’s legendary Potter temper. He knew that they were happily married and often pictured himself listening in on their fights for laughs, rather than dreading them. That image was part of why he'd always loved Molly Weasley so much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Percy continued, “She was a developmental healer, like your Aunt Cissy is a mind healer. I didn’t work with her, you’d have to ask Grandpa Albus for more information; they were the closest.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Harry blushed, “I was in Diagon Alley one summer and I read through all of her research; it was what made me first get an inheritance test.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did that show?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fifteen year old genius huffed, “I have five inheritances; parsel, siren, genie, fae, and vampire magics.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy was frozen just like his mates for a few moments. James had been considered the most exceptional wizard of his time with three magical inheritances as a siren, genie, and vampire. No one had ever heard of more than two before that. Hearing that Harry was so gifted, they were all less surprised that he’d been able to pull off what he had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Harry looked up at him, sheepish and perhaps like he’d done something wrong, the Director shook himself out of it, “That’s fabulous, Little Prince. It’ll be a busy next couple birthdays for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reassured the young siren groaned, “If this is what I have to look forward to, I’ll skip.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was perfectly fair. The truth was that siren inheritances were the worst though and the vampire was quick to tell Harry that. After all the only other inheritance that Harry had with physical changes was his vampire inheritance, and that was only fangs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not so bad then,” Harry yawned and Percy knew he’d stolen more than just his moment with the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You go to sleep,” He encouraged, “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They hugged once more, but Harry didn’t move from where he’d perched on the end of the bed, even as his grandfather started out of the room. His stomach rolled at the thought of confessing his final secret, but given the substances that were coursing through his system, a part of the Gryffindor knew that it would never be easier than it was right now. Didn’t make it any easier to choke out, “Grandpa Percy, wait a minute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” He asked, hand on the light switch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need to tell you something, but…” Harry stumbled for a minute, because he didn’t know how to explain it now. Before, he’d always been worried about his Dark Lord grandfather breaking out of Nurmengard and killing the Dursleys. Obviously he wasn’t worried about them, but the Liberator being given something like the dementor’s kiss, because of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was no longer a concern and all the Gryffindor had left was his own embarrassment and shame. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When one had been an auror as long as he had, Percy just knew what Harry was going to say, and he steeled himself. It had been a fleeting thought that Harry reacted too well to the Dursleys’ deaths, if they raised him, but it hadn’t been the time to press. Now, he got the feeling that he was about to find out the answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, you can tell me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire returned to sit next to him and Harry quickly dropped the blanket, turning to face the older man, sitting cross legged before him. Rather than responding verbally, the siren dropped his glamours and let the man take in his scarred stomach. Simultaneously he forgot to breathe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vampire stoicism rarely had its benefits, but not showing his rage in this moment was one of them. The teenager's entire torso was littered with cuts that were deep and shallow, long and short. The worst of them was a scar that read freak, in capital letters, right over his belly button.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy didn't react, but Gellert wasn't so well controlled. In their room the Dark Lord had let his magic loose, destroying everything around him. To be perfectly honest, his husband's rage was one of the only reasons that the Director stayed as calm as he did, along with years on the job.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought struck the vampire that Albus hadn't reacted, other than to reel slightly when the sight conjured across their mating bond. It took only a moment to confirm that Severus had discovered the abuse earlier that night and just told the Headmaster about it. If the Dursleys hadn't already been dead, their days would have been numbered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m okay,” Harry said, feeling like he had to say something when the silence went on too long, “It stopped once I got my Hogwarts letter and I got mind healing done before my third year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing that happened was your fault,” Percy pulled him over into a hug, “Why in God’s name weren’t you in Grandpa Albus’ office your first night in the castle?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For the rest of his days Harry would blame breaking down crying on that damn pain potion kicking in, “I was just so confused. Mom talked so much about him and Pops and…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took the older wizard a moment to realize that, even if Severus had been a right jerk, Harry must have been told by one of his parents that he called the man Papa as a baby. The title had stuck enough that Harry referred to him that way in his upset. Didn’t justify the way the man acted, but it was a start.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Then they were both being weird as fuck, and wouldn’t even acknowledge me, or Mom, and I.. I.. I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cooing at the boy as he got hysterical was all Percy could do, along with letting him cry it out. Harry had been responsible, not only for himself, but his friends as far as he was concerned. He needed for this moment to be all about him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The one time his attention came off of Harry was when Albus tried to pull away from their bond. Moments where he had to seize control of Gellert’s magical presence were rare, but Percy didn’t hesitate to grab hold of the fae as the situation called for it. Albus was not pulling away from this, not when Harry needed to be heard. It wasn’t about what the Headmaster thought he deserved to be a part of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t until the end of that year, and the stone, that I realized why they were doing what they were doing,” Harry confessed when he started to calm down, “I didn’t agree with them, but… I mean, I survived. I thought that was proof that I could handle myself and it would be better to keep me in the loop instead of out of it, but… I got it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should have been there,” Percy told him, “Every time your Grandpa Gellert had to tell me that Grandpa Albus had things under control, I should have been tearing that school down brick by brick to get to you. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, “I meant it, when I told him earlier that we were fine. It’s just… I don’t want to have to avoid you all any more.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can tell us anything, I promise. Me, Gellert, Albus, Abby… Sirius and Remus won’t give you a moment's peace once they get the chance to really be in your life after tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Today,” Harry corrected, rubbing at his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever,” Percy told him playfully, ruffling the teen’s hair and then waving his hand to perform a quick diagnostic spell. He wasn’t surprised by how quickly Harry’s magic was eating through that pain potion, “Here, take this one. You need to actually sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Harry agreed, downing the contents of the vial. This one was thicker, grainier with the poppy seeds, and he deduced that it was a stronger dose. His nose wrinkled up like a bunny in disgust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older wizard laughed at the expression, but his next words were serious, “You’re never going to be trapped like that again. I know what that’s like. Okay? You’ll always be with one of us, at least until you marry and settle down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though he nodded, the remark got the wheels in Harry’s head turning. He’d only ever heard of one time that the Director of Security for Masuca was taken hostage, but he’d never had the courage to ask about it. Opening his mouth to do just that, Harry chickened out at the last minute and told the vampire, “There’s one more thing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When we got back to the apartment from Dray coming to get me, he realized he had a hole in his pocket. His mother had given him her wedding rings to get rid of them; he was just going to throw them in a trashcan somewhere,” Harry lied through his teeth for once, but he needed to get head of their discovery at a crime scene, “He only made it to the entryway before I sent him to the neighbor’s porch, but… We didn’t mean to. Even when we realized at the apartment, we thought they'd fallen out on the street. But, that had to be how they found the Dursleys. They were never supposed to be left there!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, of course not!” Percy pulled him close, “That was an accident and I don’t want you worrying about it. If Death Eaters had tracking charms on Narcissa, neither of you could control when they decided to hunt her down. Dropping them was just an accident. I’ll go by there tomorrow and talk to Theseus’ team.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry finally laid down then. The light was shut off behind his grandfather and the door shut, leaving him to stare out his window, where no moon light was shown from beyond a new moon. He’d managed to pull this off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was still the necessity of telling his Grandpa Albus that he’d managed to get the accidental horcrux out of him, but they hadn’t had a moment alone. It would hold until tomorrow, as no one had a clue where the Dark Lord was. Figuring out how to get the Headmaster alone would be the tricky part.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As exhausted and wrung out as Harry was, sloshy as his head felt from the potion and pot he’d consumed, sleep was elusive. His vampire grandfather’s comment swirled and twisted in his mind. He had read the stories of what Gellert Grindelwald was capable of, he wasn’t ignorant to it. Entire groups had been killed on his orders, that wasn’t up for debate. Harry knew he regretted his past politics now, but they existed, that hurt existed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was just that Harry never thought of the man as doing such things to his family. He’d never thought of his Grandpa Percy as one of the Dark Lord’s victims. But, the vampire had been a captive, a prisoner; just like him at the Dursleys. And he’d said that he didn’t reunite with his husband, end their separation, until James Potter was halfway through school. That meant that they’d spent decades apart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That meant there had to be a damn good reason and it broke Harry’s heart and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He realized that he was standing in the hallway in Nurmengard. And it was daylight. There was no way he’d gotten up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realizing that he had fallen asleep, Harry looked around to try and figure out if he was having a dream or a vision. Someone coming up the hall caught his gaze. It was just his Grandpa Gellert walking down the halls of Nurmengard, that didn't exactly seem noteworthy. He wasn't even doing anything, just waking up the hall to his bedroom. Still, Harry shrugged and followed; visions always had their way and it looked like that’s what this was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Visions should have been a fourth hallow to add to the non-negotiable list. Life, love, liberty, and the sight… Harry supposed that really it would be time itself, actually, since that's how it worked. Time turners, seers, one had to accept the concept of inevitability of time, per the Liberator himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Life, liberty, love, and time… But, did time actually count under life? Is that why there were only three hallows? No one could ever say that being a Peverell was easy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His attention was pulled back to his grandfather when the man knocked on his bedroom door. Weirdo. Why was he knocking?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Percy's voice called for him to enter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry followed him in to see that the Director was sitting, legs crossed and bare foot on their bed, playing a card game. Probably solitaire. And he'd managed to dress down to his slacks and an undershirt, highlighting just how huge the vampire actually was. His hair wasn't slicked back, but instead curly like Harry's own, and it was such a strange change from all the pictures he'd ever seen of the man from newspapers, where he looked much the same as he had earlier tonight, when they'd finally been reunited in person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't you think the knocking is a little precious?" The vampire gave voice to Harry's own thoughts,"It's actually your castle."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But it's our bedroom," The blonde argued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry felt his eyes roll. Shouldn't that mean he could just walk in? Shared space and all that. He repeated, weirdo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really," The wizard on the bed pondered, as his husband settled on the window seat to look out over the garden, "Because the last time I checked, you can leave anytime that you please."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huh? Oh, this was when his Dark Lord grandfather had taken his Director husband prisoner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry flinched, because of course he'd been curious. He wanted to know about what happened between the pair. If it had been like his time at the Dursleys, after his conversation with Grandpa Percy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he hadn't wanted to see it!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stupid siren inheritance with its stupid seer option! They needed an opt out button on these stupid things. Curse it all!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Percy," The Liberator sighed, "Do we always have to do this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're the one who keeps trying to justify yourself, G. Make it less bad," The vampire hadn't even stopped his game the entire time, "I'm content to ignore you as everything, but my husband."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can't you see what I'm trying to do by uniting all the hallows?" Grandpa Gellert demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I know what you're trying to do," Grandpa Percy scoffed, "It's just not going to work."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damn it all, Percy," The siren sighed, turning to argue with his husband, "I gave you the cloak, how can you not be happy about that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally the larger man put his cards down and faced the other wizard, lavender eyes shining so bright that they were almost silver, "Keeping it in our, by your own admittance, shared room is not a gift. There can be no gifts between wardens and prisoners."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry flinched and he saw his seer grandfather recoil as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"G, you can't claim to give it to me when you have every intention of using it to unite the hallows. It doesn't work like that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are you so stubborn?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because someone has to be able to out do you in the category," The Director insisted, picking his card game back up, "We can't all go for avoidance."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grandpa Gellert scoffed, "I really thought, after he destroyed it, that he'd be hunting me down like one of your hounds."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Speak of my aurors in such a way again in my presence," Blue eyes grew darker as they appraised the smaller man, "And I'll put you over my knee."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry rolled his eyes when the Liberator raised his hands in surrender and moved back to his point, "You didn't think Albus would fight me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't put the cards down this time, but there was certainly exasperation in his eyes, as Percival Graves took in his husband once more, "Gellert, by your own admission when Bathilda drug you back to Godric's Hollow, the only thing he did was scream at you for leaving him and tell you to never come near him again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Going back to his card game, the wizard continued, "I'm not saying he didn't love his sister, I'm not saying a part of him wasn't tortured by her death. I'm saying none of you knows what happened and he loved you too."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course he did, we're mates," Gellert muttered, gaze going back to the garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can make it about that if you want to, but there's no love between us because the chance was never given," Harry was surprised at how easily the vampire shrugged that off and continued, "But at the end of the day you left him and that killed just as big a part of his fae heart. Ever since, it's been easier to push you away, rather than risking that pain again."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Where is Flea?" The blonde asked after several minutes of silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Running around with Credence, trying to tame that damn bird."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry giggled at how absolutely done his Grandpa Percy sounded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made the man's husband laugh as well, though it turned sad after a moment, "You really can leave the suite, you know."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I isolate when I'm angry," Percy said, giving Harry the distinct impression that it wasn't the first time, "I've never made any excuse for that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren gulped and looked genuinely nervous even as he pushed forward, "Do you want me to sleep somewhere else? I will if you need me to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"G, if I had my way right now, I'd crawl under that cloak and stay there forever… But, Queenie insists that's not healthy, so no. You stay."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, for training her to control the legilimency at its full power."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was not letting Tina's sister suffer, because I only taught you the basics, before you decided I was your hostage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry knew he wouldn't reach that same stage until he came into his vampire inheritance at twenty-five, but it was still nice to know that he had an experienced teacher. Maybe by then he'd have even had a real conversation with his father and he could help. Doubtful, but anything was possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another long pause between the men, in which Harry simply watched. His Grandpa Percy won a round and was laying the start of a new hand when his husband finally spoke. He could tell that the words surprised the Director, but the larger man listened intently, before going back to his set up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I could handle your anger, your rage. As much as you worry about others being scared away, because you're a vampire and feeling anger, it's far from the emotion that keeps me up at night," Grandpa Gellert shuddered, truly disturbed; Harry had never seen him like that before, "It's your fear that makes me sick to my stomach. Everytime I'm in the room it only gets worse and I don't know how to make it stop. To convince you that I would never hurt you, or Flea. No matter what I'm capable of, it's never that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wasn't surprised that his other grandfather seemed in no hurry to answer. At the Dursleys he'd always been afraid of them, that wasn't something that just went away. He had the scars to prove what they were capable of and there was no forgetting them, no making peace or feeling safe, not until he knew for sure that they were incapable of getting to him anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For that one, very specific thing, he supposed Voldemort had his gratitude.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, what the vampire responded with surprised the young seer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You are no more a natural empath then you are a natural legilimens," Percy informed his husband, "They are far better so interpreting people's emotions."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The larger wizard paused to meet his husband's gaze, "Gellert, if I were afraid of you for myself or our son, he would not be running around here chasing a bird that I'm well aware those two boys have no chance in hell of taming."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert flushed at being called out and Harry snorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I worry for the rest of the world," Percy disclosed, "Not myself and not Flea, because I do know what you're capable of, and what you're not."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love you both."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your love for us does not mean the rest of the world is forfeit to your wrath."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If I could just unite the hallows…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It is not going to work!" The vampire shouted suddenly, making Harry jump. "Damn it, Gellert, you can't bring her back with that stone. Any more that you can keep control of that wand when it's not your hallow!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have to try!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, you don't. That's not even what he wants!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How would you even know that?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Common sense! He wants the same thing I do. Give up the cloak, and the wand, and give up this pointless search for the stone. Let's get on with our lives!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can't just give up now, not when I'm so close, Percy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lavender eyes flashed as he slammed his cards on the bed and glared at his husband, "Death does not negotiate!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Liberator's voice was no more than a whisper as he turned to stare out into the garden again, "Nor do we. When does that part become just as important?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry watched the siren's husband deflate and shake his head, though his face transformed into a sad, but fond, grin, "You misinterpret the we. You still think it means you, magicians, humanity, or magical races as a whole, but it's not. It's about the other hallows, it's about balance. We can only make the choice to be guardians of, or resist, all that which is meaningful."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think we're ever going to agree on this," The siren confessed, though he was smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure we are," Percy assured, "The day you admit I'm right."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse you, Lord Peverell," The blonde rose from his seat and crossed the room to climb up on his husband's lap, "Do I look like one of your little soldiers?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You wouldn't survive the first day in my regime," Percy argued, hands going to grip the smaller man arse, as they hovered only a breath apart. He got serious for another moment, "You know this is going to come down to you and Dumbledore, don't you? That's always been the last hail Mary, righting that wrong."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're the one who was just insisting I can't do that, husband."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe not in the way you think, but you'll manage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sometimes I forget who the psychic is around here. You philosophize as much as Albie."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry gagged as his Grandpa Gellert hummed his final comment and closed the remaining space between their mouths, offering, "I will cease being sassy to my father during our first interaction, if I can see anything else!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Much to his surprise the vision shifted on cue. He didn't leave the space, but shimmering around the edge of his vision denoted a passage of time as it always did. He couldn't tell someone how much time had passed, but he knew some had. His siren grandfather was gone from the space, and Grandpa Percy was asleep in the bed, wearing different slacks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A glance out the window told him that it was sometime midday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the door opened without a knock, that was Harry's first clue that something was wrong. Or right, he wasn't really sure when Theseus Scamander rushed inside and started to shake the Director awake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Percy, come on, we've got to go!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire came back to reality easy, as most of his kind did, "Where is he?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Out front. Newt and Tina are distracting him, Rosier, and Queenie," The Head Auror… or young Auror, Harry supposed at this time, disclosed, "I've got Flea, but we've got to go."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There's a secret way out through the garden if the veil is lifted," Grandpa Percy disclosed throwing on a shirt and grabbing his legendary black overcoat, "Have him take you and I'll be right behind."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hurry! Tina will kill me if he realizes it's not in place and we lose you again!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, Scamander didn't hesitate to follow the order. He ran back out of the bedroom and, from his place at the foot of the bed, Harry could see the man hauling a pale version of himself down the hallway. Turning back, he saw his grandfather take out a letter from the nightstand before running after them, and he rushed to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nurmengard was empty, he assumed any guards were out with the Dark Lord of this time, probably wanting to witness him handle the threat that they thought was at their front door, under the guise of helping. It was a brilliant ploy, honestly. But, even Harry knew how great a risk they'd taken to free the Director of Security.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They rushed out through the garden and Percival Graves showed his son and Theseus the pathway under a statue of a turul bird. Once they had safely started down it, the vampire turned to leave the letter on a swing about twenty feet away. Harry wasn't even shocked when Scamander came back to check on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There wasn't any judgement of the letter or the Director's surprise when he turned and saw the younger man. Theseus' smile was grim, but he still threw a sleek black wand with only the barest of silver accents to the vampire, offering, "I thought you might like this back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy smiled at having his wand returned, even as he gripped the Auror by the shoulder and hauled him into the tunnel, "You're brilliant, but he knows you're here now. Move it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hit a lever inside that closed a tunnel and the peripheral of Harry's vision shimmered again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing he knew, he was still in the garden, but Grandpa Gellert was collapsing in the swing. Tears were pouring from his eyes, as he clutched the letter in his hands, and Harry moved to read it with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My Love,</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is not me choosing Macusa or my work over you. I may not have made a blood pact to never  fight you, but I did make a choice, and of it I will always be certain. You're my husband and the father of my son.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But, love can't bloom between positions of false superiority. I can't be your husband and your prisoner. This is a moment where I have to choose myself, if there will ever again be the chance for an us.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Death doesn't negotiate. Nor do we. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gellert, the number of things worth being unnegotiable are almost as rare as our ends, only love, liberty, and life themselves. I've always considered it my duty to defend all the hallows, keeping the balance and knowing the importance of all three. Your willingness to negate life from a place of power in your politics, I cannot abide.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I said this was going to come down to you and Albus over that wand, and I meant that. He'll win because it's his hallow to shield others, an ability you once denied him. Once that is rectified the two of you will know peace, but that reconciliation was never at the price of returning the sister who he loved and lost, as you thought.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You're wrong, you just don't know it yet. The day you do, we'll be together again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you, through life and death,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Percy</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry barely had time to finish the letter when time shifted again. He was in the garden, but it was dark out. To his surprise, Grandpa Gellert was putting the cloak in a gift box, with black tissue paper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn't move quickly enough to see what was written on the card that he placed inside the box. Harry was left to watch as it was attached to two ravens and sent forth. Logically he knew that it could only be making its way toward his Grandpa Percy, even before the kiss blown after it gave the destination away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rarely did visions make him misty, but this one was putting Harry through the works. It seemed like he should be exempt from this sort of turbulence the night he came into his full siren inheritance. He never should have gone to sleep with the question on his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When his grandfather turned to go back inside, there was a beautiful dark haired woman standing in the doorway, her eyes downcast from the private moment, "Is Queenie gone already?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman nodded, looking up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was struck by how much she looked like his Aunt Cissy, despite the dark hair, and he placed Vinda Rosier. He had heard reference to the woman, but he'd never seen what she looked like.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good, she belongs with her sister."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman smiled, taking his offered arm, "And I belong here with you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You really don't have to be there tomorrow, Vin," The Dark Lord offered, "I know you're with me in spirit."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked affronted, "I decided to follow you no matter the consequences; that is a choice I will abide by."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Grandpa Gellert offered after a quiet moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"To Hogwarts?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Indeed. There's a certain poetry to confronting a procrastinator."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The relief of returning home, when you know you shouldn't have left," The witch countered, before the vision melted away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry took a deep breath. He was glad to not see the duel when the sight about him swirled to a room made of red clouds. What was this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's called the Valentine dream… I've studied it more than I care to admit in the last ninety years."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking around it took the siren a moment to spot Theseus Scamander. Harry immediately wished that he'd put glamours back on before he fell asleep, as he was bare from the waist up, while the Lord Commander was still dressed from work. He'd managed to lose his suit jacket and his dark grey vest was open, along with the white long sleeve shirt underneath being rolled up to his elbows and unbuttoned a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That didn't change the fact that Harry was only in an old pair of his father's sweatpants and his scars were fully exposed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignoring it was all he could hope for, along with distraction, "You were born in '88."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus was surprised the teenager knew that, but then dismissed it. This was Percy and Albus' grandson after all, he probably knew all sorts of randomness about the Scamander clan, "True, but I came into my elvish inheritance at seventeen."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right," Harry acknowledged, because that math was sound, "I'm sorry about the note. I didn't mean to put you through the works."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older wizard, though he didn't look near the number of years actually between them, chuckled, "It's fine. I was just… Afraid to hope after so long."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That makes sense," Harry looked around, "How long does this last?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No one can ever say for sure. What happens here doesn't translate to real time," Theseus wandered closer, taking in the scars on his mate's stomach, "Who?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The Dursleys."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Their deaths weren't gruesome enough."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stared at him for a moment, before moving to sit cross legged on the floor, "What happened to them?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He must have known what they did to you, somehow, because they had words carved into them," Theseus sat to match him. He hated that this was tainted by the death of Harry's abusive family, but he wouldn't ever lie to him, "Other than that, it was a relatively routine Death Eater kill site."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll have to forgive me for not weeping."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't either, if I were you," There was a solemn silence for a moment, before the Auror couldn't stop a dark chuckle, "I can't believe that I didn't realize it was you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The comment made Harry grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, when Queenie and Newt came in demanding I sleep, it should have been so obvious!" Theseus was disgusted with himself as an investigator, "And that jackal Dark Lord! Mr. I didn't get a vision. I'm calling bullshit on his arse, like he doesn't know your handwriting! Liar!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Boy Who Lived was positively rolling. He couldn't breathe at the outburst, "Grandpa Gel was enjoying my skirting Goldstein's Inquisition too much."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus had waited for this moment for so long. Ever since he'd been a teenager and come into his inheritance, it was all that he'd dreamed of. Now, sitting here, taking in Harry's brown skin stretched tight over a form seeker's build, bright smile beaming, and emerald eyes shining beneath a mop of ebony curls, the Gryffindor was more perfect then he could have imagined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reaching out he ran a hand over the lion emblazoned on the boy's shoulder, "It's going to be hard to remember that you're only fifteen."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Age doesn't count between mates," Harry dismissed with a shrug, "Besides two years doesn't make that big of a difference."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A snort was his reply, along with, "I think your grandfather will feel differently."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That earned the Lord Commander an arched brow, "Which one?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All of them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry puffed, "Well, Grandpa Gel dated after his mating bonds opened. I guess it's not that big of a deal." The stricken face and tightening of the hand on his shoulder was all the reply he needed, "That's what I thought."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus blushed at having been played so easily, "You're a harsh negotiator."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn't even think about his response, before muttering, "Mors nec pacisci. Neque nos."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Percy junior, I'm well aware of the family motto."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That got a giggle from his mate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren glanced down at his shoulder, looking at the purring beast, "You were a Gryffindor."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Theseus offered, "Is that your only tattoo?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned and turned his back so that the Special Operations team leader could see George's masterpiece. The low whistle he received made the younger wizard blush. He forced himself not to start when fingers ran across the words at the top.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The old man must have been tickled pink."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Again, I'm gonna need a little more specificity."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The larger man scoffed, "Percy. I know the Dumbledores and Grindelwald, but Graves is the one that I was always closest to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning to look at his mate over his shoulder, words started tumbling from Harry's mouth before he could think better of them, "Why did you risk everything to get Grandpa Percy out of Nurmengard?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus was surprised that the vampire had told his grandson about that, but he quickly shook it off. The Director and his husband had been back together for two decades now and it wasn't surprising that they could talk about it, especially with their grandson. He shrugged, "I was just repaying the kindness that he once showed me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing the confused look, the elf shrugged, "My mother was a native to the Americas. Elvish legend always said that once many of our kind sailed away to the land of the sun, when darkness and rain descended into Europe with time..."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry saw a darkness come into the wizard's eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Of course, people like my paternal grandparents and their precious fae blood pictures those lines as still being pale, blonde, and Rosy cheeked despite being the People of the Sun. When their son married a dark skinned, dark haired woman, with green eyes, they were horrified."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The hypocrisy of magical racism just gives me a headache," Harry cringed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Preach," Theseus smiled at him and continued, "They were even worse when I got her dark coloring. I was pale like my Dad as a saving grace. Being raised in Britain, well, it's no land of the sun."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No shit!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right? She took me to Mexico once, where she was from. I came back looking like her little mini-me," He scoffed at the memory of his grandparents' horror, "We joked for months that was going to be what finally put those old bats in their graves."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snickered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Anyway," Theseus shook his head, forcing his way back to his point, "I was captured during the first World War and it was Percy's team who rescued me. All the fame I ever received, being proclaimed a hero, it was because of him…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"... He'd already been captured by the time that I was," Theseus laughed, "Well, I say captured. He let himself be taken so that his team could track him and get to an artifact they needed to reclaim."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The ancient tomb they'd stolen required elf blood to activate the ancient runes though, hence my abduction," The Lord Commander shuddered recalling his first time experiencing torture, "Percy got me through it though and took me with his team when the rescue squad arrived."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry wound up turning so he could perch his chin on Theseus' shoulder to listen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man turned to look at his new mate, wondering how the prodigal child of the Deathly Trio's bloodline would take the next part of the story, "We thought he was dead, honestly, after New York. That Grindelwald was that far gone and had taken out his husband."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That earned a flinch, but Harry didn't look away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And, well, I'd been engaged to Leta Lestrange before she defected to the Liberator's side to get to Credence Barebone," He could tell that Harry knew the story, everyone in the wizarding world did after Grindelwald's defeat, "She did feel guilty enough, when I discovered her alive, that she confessed to Percy being imprisoned in the castle."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged the shoulder that his mate wasn't perched on, staring out into the surrounding clouds of red, "Everyone knew how much I loved him; more than my own father most days. He was American and a connection to my elvish heritage; he'd written the letter that got me onto the Auror department… I had to rescue him. I had to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The admission made Harry smile, "He's who I've wanted to be since I was eleven and learned who he is. I get that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Albus always told Newt to stay away from Nurmengard. No matter what," Theseus pondered his next confession for a moment, "I think that he knew if Percy wasn't tempering the Liberator, then he wouldn't be able to avoid him… I wasn't expecting Newt to help me when I ran off half cocked to save Graves."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that was a surprise, "But he's your brother!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A chuckle was the response, "Perhaps, but I always thought he was closer to Dumbledore. That he'd choose him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad you were wrong."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Me too. I'd have been dead before I got past the mountain veil," Theseus grinned as he recalled, "It helped that Tina was on my side too. She wanted her work husband back."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snorted. His Grandpa Gellert had mentioned that he'd tricked Piquery into moving Tina from the Auror force in the twenties, because she would have known he wasn't the Director. The teen was interested to get to know the woman more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I've thought about it before," The younger Gryffindor confessed, "Getting out of Europe and going to work for her and Grandpa Graves in the States, like Dad did."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The larger man shifted, forcing Harry to raise up, but all the Lord Commander did was stretch out and put an arm behind his head. From his laid out position, river blue eyes gazed up at Harry, "Do you want to move to the States."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shrugged, "I just for my family back; I have no interest in losing them. It's been a thought though."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'd go with you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think your job demands you be here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ehh, I've been going through the motions for years," Theseus sighed, reaching up to run a hand over Harry's cheek, "I always assumed having a family would be my next great adventure. I'll gladly let someone else take over as Lord Commander to follow you anywhere."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My family would flip."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You've got a couple of years before you have to decide," The larger man chuckled, "Tina would be thrilled to have more people holding down her stronghold in the States."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, see, she's always sworn she wasn't moving to Europe, refuses despite all her and Newt's travels. Her alliance was strong with Graves until your parents got married, and Flea passed, and you were born," There was a snort and then he continued, "She has long suspected that he's one crisis from moving back across the pond."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I may be far from the favorite then," Harry huffed, "If anything, this is going to get him to uproot."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Eh, it's not just you. He's wanted his husband back full time for a while."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That'll be interesting with Grandpa Albus in the fray now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fair. How's that going?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, they've been dealing with me. I don't think there's been a chance to discuss the mate thing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus scoffed, "They've had a damn century. How much longer could they need?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry chuckled, "Anyway, I'm not sure I would want to have kids in the States. I wouldn't want them raised away from their extended family."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's another good point. My brother would have a stroke," Theseus thought about it for a few minutes, "You could always start your Auror career there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry gave him a very confused look at the elf knowing that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All he got in response was a laugh, "Please, you may have only traded letters, but you're all Percival Graves talks about. Harry made seeker in his first year, Harry wants to be an Auror, Harry this and that and more!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though Harry was giggling, he was touched by the exclamation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course, Newton probably knows more about you then I do," Theseus muttered petulantly, "Albus Dumbledore is no better."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course. You're their prodigal child. The comeuppance of the mating bonds they tried to resist," Theseus shook his head, "But, I fully expect to know more about you then my brother by the end of this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What would you like to know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell me about your tattoo."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not a whole lot of mystery there," Harry shrugged, "They're all animals, or representations of people, who have meant a lot to me over the years."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tell me about the lion."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren checked his magic and realized he couldn't transform in the dream, "Sorry, restrictions of the mating dream, that will have to be an in person inquiry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus lips pursed, "The white owl?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's my girl, Hedwig. She goes by Iggy," Harry gave the Scamander a funny look, "Your brother was acting weird around her earlier."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I assure you, it wasn't just earlier. What did the odd ball say?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't even know. He was asking a bunch of weird questions about her anklet and how I got her as a gift from Hagrid."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, there is part of the problem. Those two always bring out each other's weirdness."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed at that, stretching out beside his mate to lay on his stomach, head falling into his crossed arms, "Well, everyone tells me that true familiar's are always magical creatures, so I guess she's as close as I'll ever get. Because I can't imagine another animal I could be closer to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sounds like me with my girl, Litonya," Theseus explained, "She's a Tocha Kachina, that's a…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A very large hummingbird, with a song that can heal entire battlefields at the same time, and fly so fast that buildings crash in its wake."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus laughed, but it was an accurate description, "Don't say it with such enthusiasm, she already has a big head."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I always loved the story," Harry confessed with a blush, "I read about it while researching my Dumbledore heritage."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The larger wizard rolled to face him, so their noses were almost touching, "Once upon the sun's surface, born to the King of the Phoenixes, the father of the race, was a daughter who was white as snow. Where her sisters were silver and black, no stain of color dared blemish her feathers, for she was too good…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like her sisters before her, the snow phoenix scoured the Earth for a mate for whom she would allow their feathers to blend," Harry continued, beaming up at him, "But of her brothers there was no phoenix who was her equal. Of every race of bird none could match her beauty. So heartbroken and desolate she retreated to the highest peak of a remote mountain…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...But, never could her father bear to see his favored daughter in the throes of such pain. He descended from his sun throne to the imperfections of our world and borrowed a feather from his friend, the mighty Thunderbird, who had given the daughter rest in his mountain. And to that feather did the Phoenix king give the gift of life. The life he created was the Tocha Kachina…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"... And in love at first sight did his daughter fall, with this new bird of every color known under the sun. So grateful was she that anything he asked, she promised to her father…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus leaned closer so that they were sharing the same breath, "I demand of you only that I be allowed to remain here by your side, to watch you grow and love and fly free with your chosen, as your love grants me a grandchild of every color within sight of my domain…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...for the rest of our eternal lives," They finished together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kiss they shared was sweet and lovely as the story they'd shared. Harry tasted of lemons, poppy, and mint, while Theseus of earth and a hint of salt water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their lips still touched when the younger of the two continued, "That's why hummingbirds, magical and not, became known as firebringers under the worship of Huitzilopochtli, because where they led, their phoenix always followed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they pulled back, both startled at the sounds of swirling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing up the pair realized that the red clouds of their time together were disappearing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Theseus cursed the timing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed, "I think I'll be seeing you again soon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not soon enough," He denied, stealing one more kiss before consciousness separated them once more.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Familars and Wands</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Percy shut the door to Harry’s room and forced himself to go check on the other four boys sharing the suite. Neville and Draco were unconscious in their respective bedrooms and he didn’t bother going to Fred’s room after finding both twins asleep in George’s bed. The lot were officially exhausted from their plot and wouldn’t be trying for any more grandeur in the next couple of hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus was calming across the bond, after Percy reminded the Headmaster that Harry was in no worse shape then he had been in the apartment, technically speaking. It was late and there was nothing they could do, but take a breath to process the information. Though he didn’t want to, Percy’s fae mate had to agree finally, and he trudged back to his apartment in Hogwarts to take dreamless sleep and crash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to be a douche, Percy warned him that Gellert often proclaimed the potion didn’t work across mating bonds, but he wasn’t positive if that was just a seer thing, or if it would affect the Chief Warlock too. Dumbledore declared that it was better than nothing, as he went bottoms up and crawled into his bed in Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That made Percy laugh, as he headed for his and Gellert’s bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Opening the door, it was still an unholy wreck and his husband was huddled in the window seat. Gellert had his hands locked around his knees and was staring out at the garden; Percy didn’t have to see his face to know that he was still crying. With a wave of his hand, the room started to right itself around the vampire, and he started getting ready for bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was a baby when he first got there,” The words were jaded and whispered, “How could he not tell me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy knew that this was hardest for his husband. Albus had been ignoring Harry, he had been in the States, and Abby was content thinking that the boy was safe under his brother’s watch. Gellert had been in their grandosn’s life in the most traditional sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that Harry had spent nights at Nurmengard, listening to stories and getting advice from Gellert, and simply enjoying the man’s company when he wanted away from school. At the end of the day though, that may have been the problem. James had buried and hidden his embarrassment whenever that particular emotion came to call, unlike how the boy had isolated himself when angry. It was something that Harry very clearly took after his dad in terms of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gel, he was ashamed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t do anything wrong!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Neither did Credence,” Percy reminded him, unsurprised when the Dark Lord flinched at the reminder of his past. He pulled off his pants, leaving the Director in only his black boxers and finally earning his husband’s gaze, “With kids who have been abused, that’s not the point. He felt the way he did and felt safe enough to share finally.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With you,” Gellert accused, before he immediately regretted it, “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright,” The vampire dismissed, “Gel, I don’t think it was because it was me. I think I was the first person he got alone, after finding out that he was safe from them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever he did to them,” The siren hissed, “It was too quick!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy hummed, “I’ll pass that along when he’s arrested.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The blonde scoffed as his husband took the seat behind him, large hands moving to pull him back against Percy and the vampire’s lips finding his shoulder, “Do not make promises you can’t keep, Fanger. You hadn’t slept for two days before Harry decided to put the Order of the Flaming Flamingo in their place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While that was true, Percy still buried his face in the crook of his husband’s neck, “Are you saying you won’t be doing all the work, babe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m saying you know I’ve never found unconsciousness an arousing trait,” Gellert corrected, “And I don’t care how good you are, that’s the only thing your exhausted arse is about to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hummed again, “Maybe you aren’t wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert started getting up to get himself ready for bed. He was rummaging through his drawer for a pair of silk pajama bottoms, as his mate moved from the window seat and collapsed into the bed on his stomach like a large cat. Sleepy lavender eyes trailed his every movement as Gellert moved through his nightly routine and, if he hadn’t been able to feel how far past tired his husband was, the siren might have been tempted to drain a bit more energy out of him when there still managed to be heat there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy crossed his arms underneath it and snuggled into his pillow, “It’s probably for the best, I suppose. Harry could end up giving you visions or vice versa. We wouldn’t want to scare the poor boy to death.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even say that!” Gellert gasped at the very thought, as he approached the bed in his silk pants. He allowed the much larger wizard to grab him and roll them over in the bed until Percy was towering above him, “You don’t think I can pick up on his mating dream, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, love, those are very exclusive,” Percy scoffed, “Even you can’t invite yourself into that little excursion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank the gods for that! I’ll dream walk with him, but that’s not something that I want to partake in,” The man shuddered at the thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the matter, love?” Percy asked, his nose running along Gellert’s neck and then his tongue joined it, “Worried that he takes after you at that age?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re not funny!” Gellert hissed, pushing at the mountain of a wizard to no avail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire continued, “As I recall, you found out you had the Director for Security of all Macusa and a fae genius waiting for you at fifteen, and we still weren’t enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren rolled his eyes. It had been dating after getting his mating dream that got him expelled, all because of one homophobic prick. It wasn’t a decision that he wanted to relive, “I mean it, Percy, you best not start something that you can’t finish! You’re two seconds from passing out on top of me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a chuckle the vampire let his weight disburse on top of the smaller wizard and settled with his nose buried in Gellert’s neck, “I suppose you’re right, we can’t have that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you stubborn lumberjack! That does not mean to fall asleep on top of me anyway! Percy!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes of griping, Gellert settled into his position, as it was possible that he didn’t mind it as much as his complaining suggested. With the vampire out cold, arms locked around the younger wizard like his own personal teddy bear, his husband’s arms were free to wander. One stroked through Percy’s hair, using magic to remove the sleek easy potion that the behemoth always used before work, leaving his curly locks bouncy and ready to pet, while Gellert’s other hand ran along his shoulders and the tattoo stationed there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn't know it, but he’d managed to get a tattoo that perfectly parallelled the vampire sleeping on top of him. Percy’s had the Graves family motto, just like Harry’s, but in the middle he had the family’s animal totem, an American turul bird. That had been one of the first things that Gellert ever noticed about his husband, as turuls were a national representation of Hungary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If examining the tattoo during his first mating dream ended with Gellert leaving bloody scratch marks down the skeletal wings of the tattoo as he came, their grandson never, ever, needed to know that information… Nor that his mating dream with Albus ended similarly. Oh gods, he hoped that Harry made better choices than him at that age.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would, Gellert was sure that he would! Harry was so much better than him. Despite this little incident, the young siren was naturally inclined to goodness. But, how much goodness?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The entire Dursley situation just didn’t sit right with Gellert. If that had been him, he’d have taken them out personally and no one would have ever been the wiser. That didn’t seem like a drive that Harry had, but the entire night showed that the boy wasn’t trying out for sainthood. And… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert wasn’t really sure, but Harry just seemed too damn good for those rings to have fallen out of Draco’s pocket! Was he overthinking it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Probably.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, the thought just wouldn’t leave him alo… Oh, look he was in a vision. Maybe Percy wasn’t the only one who was tired after the night’s events. Usually sleep was more elusive for seers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking around, he was in the middle of a muggle park and it was raining. How charming. He was nice and dry though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spotted Draco sitting on a swing and wandered over. The teenager was obviously deep in his thoughts, all of him soaking wet except for the leather jacket that he was wearing, and the other jacket of the same material strone across his lap. It was just like Sirius’ son to not bother shielding himself, but to make sure his leather jacket was protected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert couldn’t stop an eye roll.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps it should have surprised him when Harry appeared here with the cloak, but Gellert couldn’t find it within himself to be shocked. He was well aware of what he went to sleep thinking about. This was not his first late night inquisition into something he wanted to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys chatted for a few minutes about the Lestrange vault and then finally things started moving toward what the Dark Lord wanted to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Draco who started it, “One thing first… Malfoy had tracking charms on them. I had the perfect idea of where to put them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His grandson stared at the rings confused and Gellert watched the light dawn in his killing curse green eyes, “That’s vicious.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But how guilty would you really feel?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert snorted at the question, taking a moment to look at the jackets both boys were wearing. Draco had a white wolf stitched into the back of his, and Harry had a golden lion in the same place. The original Marauders had similar jackets, of course their stitching had been based on their…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why those little shits! How dare they not tell him!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Harry didn’t miss a beat, “Give them here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys started moving up the street and Gellert followed unhurried. He watched as Harry sent the Black heir to the next door neighbors, all but confirming his grandfather’s theory already. Draco had never even been in the house to drop those rings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was under the cloak and shut the door quickly behind him, but Gellert simply walked through it. He was an old hat at visions by now and he was well aware of his cheats and limitations. Entering the Dursley home, it was nothing to speak of, though taking in the man that had tortured his grandson in the pictures made the Dark Lord murderous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For slaughtering Vernon Dursley, that very specific single thing, Voldemort had his gratitude.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert couldn’t see Harry underneath the invisibility cloak, but he could see the rings as they hit the floor with a small clank. He could also clearly see as a foot darted out, very intentionally, to kick them under the inn table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then, he wasn’t at all surprised when the vision started to fade away, because that was it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was all he’d needed to know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had left those rings on purpose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Good. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy needed to know that he’d done nothing to deserve what happened, but the walrus and anyone who enabled him, had gotten exactly what was coming to them. Gellert had no intention of telling Percy, Albus, or anyone else what he’d seen; his interest had been mere curiosity. No one else ever needed to know how, exactly, the Dursleys came to meeting their ends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When a new vision reformed, he was standing in the middle of his suite in Nurmengard, in the hallway that led to the bedrooms. Ahead of him was Harry, who was obviously having a vision of his own, and ahead of the boy was the sight of himself walking to his bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hmm, interesting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to call out to Harry, let the teenager know that he was dream wandering and there as well, sucked in without option by the Gryffindor’s siren inheritance, but what he saw made him freeze. The vision version of himself stopped and knocked on the door to his room. He’d only done that during one point in his entire life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert thought he might get sick for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why in the world was Harry having a vision about this? Was it random? Did he seek it out?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly their grandson’s conversation with Percy before bed ran through his mind, not unlike having his own vision without his grandson’s. His husband said that he’d understood what it was like to be held in a trap. Gellert hadn’t even thought about it, because he’d known that his husband meant during the first World War. When the vampire had been captured, tortured, and first met Theseus Scamander.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, Harry didn’t know that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did he think that Percy meant this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yep, he was going to be sick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry stationed himself right between the vision version of himself and Percy on the bed, watching their bickering. And Gellert was well aware that was all this amounted to between him and Percy, bickering and bitching, but he worried that Harry didn’t. He was so tempted to intervene, but he didn’t know if that would make it worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that what he’d done to Percy wasn’t horrible, it was just that they’d worked through it over the decades. Gellert knew without question that his own insecurities about his mates not choosing him had consumed his younger self, and that alone is what ended up pushing both away for so long. He didn’t think that was what Harry was looking for, however.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Harry laughed at the vampire getting sassy over his aurors, Gellert got comfortable in the doorway. This was more memory than vision for him, so he decided to just let Harry get whatever his sight thought he needed from it. He was well aware of how this discussion ended anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only time he almost intervened was when Percy shouted about uniting the hallows not working. Poor Harry jumped like a startled cat, for all intents and purposes about to come out of his skin. He’d never seen Percy angry and, after what he’d surely suffered through with the Dursleys, Gellert couldn’t blame him for being apprehensive of raised voices.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Harry didn’t seem too distressed after he swallowed the surprise. And Gellert listened to the argument from his station. The teenager didn’t react to the comment concerning how Percy would know anything about what Albus wanted, but his grandfather certainly did. He was well aware that had been a low blow toward his husband, only because he was losing the argument, and the siren flinched as he recalled it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t react all that much when Percy explained the ‘Nor do we,' either. But his eyes did sparkle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert grinned in the doorway as Harry, seemingly unconsciously rolled his eyes when his past self got up on the bed, and he fought to contain his laughter when the boy gagged and made his deal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the scene changed, the Dark Lord quickly moved himself from the doorway to the archway behind it, well aware of what was about to happen when Theseus Scamander appeared. He resisted the urge to thump the little termite in the ear, just because he was here now and could. It wouldn’t change anything, but it would make him feel better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, he sat in the hallway’s window until Harry followed Percy out, and then Gellert followed them. As Harry read that letter, the older siren had no need for a refresher, he remembered every single word by heart. His nausea crept back up his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought of Harry seeing what he’d done to the garden after reading that letter, that was brutal. He’d destroyed everything, consumed with grief. It wasn’t a sight he wanted his grandson to associate with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thank the gods the scene changed again, just to that night, but it changed. Seeing Vinda again was the one silver lining of dream walking with Harry through this. And the teenage seer didn’t seem to notice the garden was a little… barren. But, it did not clear the knot from Gellert’s stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing Harry disappear into a bundle of red clouds and then gasping awake was a relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his earlier complaints, Percy wasn’t that difficult to move in a crisis. A little tickle under his right arm and the snoring ton rolled easily toward the window. Gellert flew in the opposite direction to the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it, before losing the contents of his stomach into the toilet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, on the one hand he knew that Harry had only seen that he’d never tortured or abused his husband. On the other, though, his grandson knew so little about his family that he’d thought it a possibility. And it felt like he and Percy had just bared their age old fight about Albus and the hallows in front of the boy, and Gellert would never do that! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flea never even had to suffer through that fight. Even before he’d risen to power and Percy had still been trying to talk him into reconciling with Albus through non hallow related means, they’d been having that same argument. Never the same verbiage, but always the same spirit. He hated that Harry’s curiosity had him suffering through that the night that his inheritance was forming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the nausea passed, Gellert stumbled to the dark marble bathroom sink and started to brush his teeth. His eyes were red once he was finished, so the siren splashed cold water to his face until his teeth wanted to chatter, then reached for a hand towel. It wasn’t until he was drying off that something caught his gaze in the mirror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy had managed to wake up, unlock the door, and was leaning on the frame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know vampires don’t sleep as much as the rest of you,” The Director shrugged, “It’s after six anyway. I would have woken up soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We went to bed four hours ago. That’s always going to be terrifying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What woke you up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Liar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the accusation, Percy didn’t stop him from brushing by him in the doorway to return to bed. Gellert flung himself back onto the soft mattress of clouds with a sigh, before looking up at his husband, who had wandered back over to the edge, “Harry wanted to know if your time as my prisoner was like his time with the Dursleys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire startled, “Of course not!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know that, he didn’t,” Gellert shrugged, arms going around Percy’s neck as his husband crawled back into the bed on top of him, “He watched that last fight we had, before Scamander broke you out…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was not a fight,” Percy cut him off, “You and Albus have fought, twice. We’ve only argued.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. He watched our argument then, and he read your letter after watching the breakout,” Gellert shrugged, “I never would have wanted him to see that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, he was meant to,” Percy shrugged it off, lips wandering downward to his mate’s neck, “There were far worse things he could have seen us doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you think he’s afraid of me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” That drew his attention back upward, “G… We both know some of the stuff you did. It was horrible, I’m not making excuses for it. But, I think he just needed to see us at our worst, to feel safe having shared his worst experiences with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think a genius who played us like a fiddle for four years, conveniently forgot that we’ve been using our mating bonds all evening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert hadn't thought of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't like mates had to tell each other everything, but Harry would have been calculating for it. The only thing he probably hadn't calculated, because he couldn't do so, was Gellert's sight. He wondered at how easily he could have been tipped off to the teen's plan, if he'd ever gotten a vision. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's fair," Percy purred, pinning Gellert's arms above his head at the siren's wrists, "But what did you see that he did miscalculate?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Dark Lord tensed for a moment and stared at his mate. He hadn't meant to get Harry sold out! Lying was an option, but he'd never get away with it, so finally Gellert confessed, "Harry left those rings at the Dursleys on purpose."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Director of Security snorted, "Obviously."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the vampire tried to return to his previous philandering, he was interrupted by his husband pushing at his chest and meaning it, "You knew?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course I knew, G," Percy scoffed, "Come on, babe. I mean, it could have happened, but it didn't."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert stared at him shocked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Funny how you don't have to be a seer if you use common sense."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That earned him a smack to the bicep from the siren,"And you're just going to let him think you believed it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shrug was all the Dark Lord got, "That's the beauty of the whole thing. We can all say we believed it and get on with our lives."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How did you not help me take over the world?" Gellert demanded, finally letting the vampire slip his hands below his waistband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't have the right platform for me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's right. You were always a stickler for the wording," Gellert gasped as he felt his pants start to descend, seemingly of their own accord, and a lubrication sleep took root from deep within him, "Fuck, Percy, get inside me now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire chuckled, "Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach, baby boy."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fingers started to circle his entrance, but Gellert was quick to grab into Percy's elbow to stop him, "I'm fine, Perce."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"G…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seriously, have you already forgotten that you were just here a few hours ago? I'm still loose," The siren insisted, though one finger went straight to his sweet spot as if checking that statement for authenticity, "What was it Tina told you? Get laid or get flayed?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire scoffed, as he reached down to remove his boxers, muttering, "Insubordinate hefer."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as his husband was naked, Gellert pushed up into the vampire's space, stealing a kiss before telling him, "I want to ride you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm…" Percy made a bit of a show thinking it over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pleade, Daddy?" Pretty white blonde eyelashes blinked up at the older wizard, "I thought you liked it when I did all the work?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All it took was one well placed thigh between the bulging wizard's legs and the Director was caving, just like he always did. Climbing onto his husband was always like being dropped in a candy shop. Every muscle on Percy rippled and throbbed like a lakeshore and Gellert kissed every inch of him that he could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to feed from me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite what many thought, vampires weren't constantly on the hunt for blood. Yes, consuming helped injuries heal and strengthen bonds, but it wasn't a drug to them, where the race had to have their fix. Percy didn't know any vampires who had a mate and chose to feed on anyone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, emotionally vexing days could be just as necessary to heal from as physical injuries, and he purred out an enthusiastic, "Yes!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as his mate answered, Gellert made a point of sheathing himself on the wizard's ten inch cock. Huge hands gripped his hips hard enough to leave bruises and the siren left claw marks down his husband's chest from gripping desperately at the larger man's shoulders. Given the vampire's previous answer, it didn't shock him when, as they both approached their frenzied peaks, Percy gripped him hard by the thighs and once more changed their positions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert couldn't remember a time when his first mate hadn't been able to make him come untouched, not since that first mating dream, and this morning was no exception. Percy didn't even have to try to hit his sweet spot, though the wizard always did, as he sealed their mouths together and let Gellert fully taste his magic, an odd but delectable sensation of poppies, ash, and fog. Still, he held off for what came next, because it always made the experience so much better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His husband's lips trailed down from the siren's mouth until they hit that overly sensitive place along his artery, that after years of this and knowing what was coming, never failed to have Gellert arching his back and begging. Percy teased the area until they were both on the edge and ready to fall together, before letting his fangs extend and sinking them into his mate's pretty neck. Just a mouthful was more than enough to have the pair shattering in each other's arms, crying one another's name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In not so distant history, it was said that a vampire's bite ruined all maidens. Yes, it was meant as a cautionary tale and got conflated with virginity often, but, who would ever give some regular shlump a chance, if they'd experience that kind of bliss. Gellert said as much to his husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy snorted and rolled onto his side so that he could gaze down at Gellert, with his head propped up by his hand, "You've said that ever since we met in your mating dream."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And I'm still right."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course you are, baby boy," Percy cleaned them both up with a quick charm and pulled the covers back up so that they could cuddle. For all that his husband had complained about the sleeping arrangement the night before, Gellert all but demanded that Percy lay on top of him like another blanket now, and it made the Director chuckle. He cast a quick blackout charm on the windows to buy them a couple more hours in the light of predawn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus burst awake with a gasp. Taking stock of himself, his face was buried in his golden pillow and his red silk sheets were twisted around his hips and legs. He was on his stomach and hadn't had a mess in his pants like he currently did since he was seventeen years old… As a matter of fact, Gellert Grindelwald had been responsible for that too, this time the little shit just had help!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reached for his watch in the nightstand and saw that it was mere minutes after ten. Good, that was two hours until there was even a chance the teenagers at Nurmengard would think to stir. There were things to be handled here, like finding Hagrid, figuring out what Newt's problem was, and dealing with the inevitability that Minerva would see the newspaper and talk to his brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking stock of his mating bonds, Albus determined that they weren't blocked or shielding, but both held a certain dimness that suggested the husbands had fallen back asleep. That was beneficial as he needed a moment to process and absolve his mortification. It looked like the dreamless sleep wasn't perfect against mating bonds, but it did delay his reception a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Discarding his pajama pants into the hamper, he started the process of filling the enormous tub built into the tan stonework. He watched the water rise, adding his favorite soaps and oils as was necessary, but mostly he sat on the side of the tub thinking. So very much had happened the night before…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had pulled off the unimaginable. The young siren had to know about the horcrux inside of him. He had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster agreed with his mates, despite the light magic that had always coursed through his veins. No matter how much Gellert insisted that he always tasted of lemons and sunshine, there was no doubt in his mind that he would have left those rings just where Harry had, if the muggles had tortured him like Vernon Dursley had Harry. There was only so much one person could take.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His grandchild had calculated everything too perfectly to not know. The only question that remained was how the boy intended to handle that. Albus wouldn't put it past him at this juncture to have found another way besides facing Tom down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sinking into the tub with his thoughts, Albus wasn't surprised when the sound of ignition crackled and Fawkes brought himself into the space, landing on his golden perch. He should have thought harder about putting those everywhere. Still, it wasn't surprising as he had shut off his bedroom to the phoenix for the entire night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Judas," He acknowledged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature's eyes rolled, but he still flew over to perch next to the tub.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It was necessary.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words appeared in his head as they always did. Albus was bitter about his familiar's actions though, "Necessary? To let a twelve year old do the work of highly trained aurors? Instead of just telling me that he knew?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You wouldn't have accepted him</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And how do you know that?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because you still do not accept your own daughter.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That made Albus freeze. He'd loved Lily, so much. More than anything else in the world at that time, as a matter of fact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, he'd made a deal with Aberforth and Orion when they agreed to use that conception potion. They were the parents and he was the Uncle. That was the bargain and that was sacred to fae kind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, Aberforth had never told him to but out once Lily brewed that heritage potion, but he'd disappointed his brother enough for a thousand lifetimes. As close as Albus and Lily had been, claiming her as a daughter always felt like another slap to his brother's face. So, he'd ignored the issue and simply been there for the girl with his hair and Orion's eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes trilled from the neck up in his own approximation of a head shake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Live in denial all you would like, but Tiger Lily loved you and you were her favorite parent. Out of all five that she had, you knew exactly how smart she was and she clung to you. She claimed you to her son, even if you were strange on claiming her during that child's entire life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tears pulled from Albus' blue eyes as he hadn't heard the nickname in a decade.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And if you can't accept her, you will never accept her son for who he really is, because he's just as smart, and strong, and mature. But, you made him feel like he had to prove that and he needed help to do so.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus stared at his familiar for a long time. The phoenix had been his best friend for decades. He was always willing to give him a good kick in the arse when he needed one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It was always my one regret. Not telling her that I was proud to be her father."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She knew. Always.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now her son is running amok and making us all look like idiots," Albus sighed and leaned back on the slot on the tub, "I don't know what to do with that boy for two more years."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Children are complicated. My daughter has been getting into trouble all her own for years now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know you had a daughter."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You will.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Albus asked, but the bird only blinked at him, clearly unwilling to say more on the subject, so he dropped it, "Well, I don't think making him Quidditch Captain is going to be enough."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He tends to amuse himself with his side projects.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No more hunting for dark artifacts! Rings a little too close to Gellert's cathedral for my taste."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I meant his potions. He removed his horcrux with something he designed and has developed a new form of wolfsbane.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The details elude me. You'll have to ask the boy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh I will."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They settled to relax for a while after that. When Fawkes trilled at him, Albus filled the large sink up to act as a bird bath to appease the needy creature. The Headmaster may have even dozed off in the temperature controlled water.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was jolted awake by his son banging on the bathroom door. Scrambling for his watch, Albus saw that it was just before eleven thirty, meaning everyone was up and about to head for the Great Hall's daily summer brunch. Hagrid and Minnie would be waiting for updates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you're attempting to drown yourself, get on with it," Severus smarted off, "If not, let's go! Scamander is already here and having a fit in the Great Hall. Some of us have no interest in missing that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go enjoy yourself,” Albus called back, grabbing his towel, “I'll be there in ten mintues.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no response but the sound of his son rushing from the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thought made him grimace. It had always been easy to claim the young vampire, because Severus’ father had been a right bastard and he’d wanted to claim anyone else in the roll, was desperate for it even. Lily had wound up with more parents then she knew what to do with. The Evans, Aberforth, Orion… Himself. He’d failed his daughter by never pushing to claim her publically, but Albus wasn’t going to continue making the same mistake with her son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was in a similar situation now, himself. Sirius and Remus would, without a doubt, be living embodiments of embarrassing fathers, while Severus would earn himself a pardon with his son by shielding the teenager from the remaining Marauders' overbearing tendencies. At the same time, the three hadn't a lot of experience with parenthood, as they'd missed most of Harry's childhood; they'd all have better luck with Teddy and Capricornia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They would try, but Albus had seen the way that Harry looked at Percival Graves. It was a grander mixture of hero worship and adoration, that traditionally popped up between fathers and sons, rather than grandparents and grandchildren. If that remained the case, Harry could very well end up more like a son to Percy and G.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had yet to be seen if the same could, by some miracle, extend to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Throwing on a tan suit, Albus remembered that he'd end up having to show his tattoos to the boys. The only reason he'd gotten away without bearing them last night, was because Harry had the spins so badly. Only one of the four was truly scandalous in any capacity, so he didn't truly mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dressed and ready to find out what Harry could possibly throw at them today, Albus started for the Great Hall. Fawkes trailed after him and ahead once they reached the staircases. Only two random changes off course and he was heading into brunch… Though by the time he arrived, it was probably just regular lunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus was sitting to Minerva's left at the head table, the only one still set up during the summer, and was wearing a shit eating grin as Newt paced before them ranting. Hagrid was to the Potions Master's left and the half giant looked like he was trying to read the witch's newspaper overtop the young vampire's head. Albus' best friend seemed to be lost in the daily edition, but her gaze if steel moved upward, as if sensing his presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was far more observant than the boys, who were too busy with their grapefruit, nosiness, or temper tantrum, to notice his approach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"... To just stab me in the back. I could have gotten my menagerie license revoked, had to re-home all of my creatures! Oh gods, the sanctuary could have been shut down, Hagrid!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yer bein' a bit dramatic," Hagrid insisted, "I would have filed her as a registered familiar, post- bonded, and we would have gotten on with our day."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You lied to me!" Newt hollered arms flying wildly, "For years!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What is going on?" Albus demanded, taking his seat at the table, "You two don't typically fight like this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He…" Newt started to accuse vehemently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tut-tut-tut!" Hagrid cut him off with a glare, "Hold yer tongue there, Newt. If it's comin' out, the first person ta know about it'll be Harry!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I cannot believe you!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though the younger fae huffed and finally stalked over to drop into the seat next to Albus, Newt also didn’t move to fight the assertion. It couldn’t be anything dangerous if the magizoologists weren’t rushing, so he’d let it go… For the moment, “Have you spoken to Theseus today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Ever the petulant little brother, Newt crossed his arms and slumped in his seat, “He was already back to work when I went by there. Workaholic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, because sleeping in the office with no reason to go home and distracting himself with work for ninety years was his first choice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Minerva inserted herself into the conversation, having held out about a minute longer than her best friend had expected, “We should leave elected isolation to the professionals.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus threw himself back in his chair, knowing perfectly well that his ability to argue against that accusation was non-existent, "Well, you're not wrong. You never were."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only took you fourteen years to realize," She stared at him for a moment, toast abandoned, "I've never met Percival Graves, but he has my sympathies."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A strum of amusement ran across their bond as the vampire in question woke up in time to catch the condolence, "He accepts."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minerva only hummed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But, the sound was pregnant and patient, while Hagrid looked about ready to jump over the witch and shake answers from him. Grabbing the paper from beside his plate, Albus flipped it over to read the trio of headlines. It seemed better to start from where the Daily Prophet left off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The largest headline declared the Dark Lord's return, along with the murder of Harry's muggle family. Though the paper proclaimed his successful escape, the Headmaster cringed at the portrayal of the Dursleys as any sort of victims. But, in the long run, that would just mean no suspicion would turn on Harry for how they found the place, and it would mean that his grandson faced no public embarrassment of having to reveal or talk about his scarring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second headline declared Sirius innocent and Fudge on his way out of office. That would be a nice break in all this. Scanning the article showed that outrage was grand and there were already some calling for the previous Minister's head. It looked like Amelia Bones was taking over as interim until elections could be organized and held.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last headline talked about the break into Azkaban and the dementors' defection. It hailed Theseus Scamander's teams for immediately securing the dilapidated holding cells at the Ministry, one team getting them outfitted and up to date as a prison, and the other getting every escaped Death Eater back into custody within twelve hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus could not wait for Harry to emerge in Nurmengard. He had wanted his family married into the Scamander clan for years and, even if it wasn't through the brother he expected, the fae wanted to hear confirmation of that wish's fulfillment. Smiling when he felt a similar sentiment come from Graves, the Headmaster sat back to start answering everyone's questions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All of Tom's horcruxes have been destroyed. He's on the run, probably with Lucius Malfoy, and looking for Narcissa," Hev divulged to the other four, "He mistakenly believes that she's on his side."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus leaned forward to see around Hagrid, "All of them?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All of them," Albus shrugged, "Apparently our Harry is quite the accomplished potioneer. He invented a potion that can destroy horcruxes and a new form of wolfsbane, though I don't know any more details on either."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can only imagine where he got that from," Minnie rolled her eyes in his son's direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus stared down at his grapefruit, having no response for the witch, smart or otherwise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They're all safe in Nurmengard. I'm supposed to go over later, so that Percy can go into the Ministry and offer aid," Albus' gaze swung to his first protege, "And so Newton can explain his sudden fascination with Hedwig to my grandson."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Newt snorted, "Take it up with the good professor over there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're both going."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll go too," Minerva inserted before the two wizards could object to her friend's instruction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hagrid just nodded a benign confirmation and Albus told the lot to meet in his office in twenty minutes to catch the portkey. Severus disappeared with a claim about getting Harry something for the hangover the young siren would certainly have, though Albus could tell he was fighting an anxiety attack over the upcoming confrontation with his son. While the magizoologists left together, Newt still looked irked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That left him with Minerva to move toward his office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sirius and Narcissa's reunion?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"In a word? Passionate."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Could they at least get married first this time?" Minerva sighed, frustrated, "The one mess Orion went to the grave unable to get his oldest out of."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sirius had his own plans for getting Cissy out of that contract. He hadn't need worried."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"His one flaw as a parent, then."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That got Albus' attention, "What?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He wasn't secure enough to let his sons solve their own problems," The witch offered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm… Tom suggested that Reggie stole one of his horcruxes. I haven't had the chance to ask Harry what he knows in the topic yet, but… well…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He always shared his father's soft spots."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus didn't want to acknowledge her accuracy, for his brother's sake. They had played and joked the night before, with Graves there to buffer, for the first time in years. He didn't want to put Abby through anymore after the unexpected deaths of his mate and youngest son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been bad enough when he'd first gained access to Grimmauld place to find that they died the year before. That had been just a few years after Sirius' arrest for betraying his sister, when Narcissa negated the Black family seat to her uncle's last remaining widow, after Walburga's passing in '85. This was the first time Albus registered that they'd had to be in the same room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What had happened? Had they spoken? Lucius Malfoy had to be ignorant of the fact that Narcissa didn't fight for control of the Black family. If he'd stopped to think about the fact that the girl hadn't fought for it, he probably would have looked twice at Draco, but by then, Albus hadn't been speaking to Aberforth, unable to face his nephew after reading a false auror's report.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minerva wasn't wrong though. If Reggie had gotten his hands on that locket, if he'd needed help, then there was no doubt as to who the teenager ran to. Orion and his youngest almost certainly went down together, and now Albus was pretty sure that he knew why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have to tell Abby."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger witch studied her best friend, "No, I will. He'll never take it well, but it'll be better coming from me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was ashamed by how much relief flooded him at her offer, sinking down into his desk chair to start making a portkey, "Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do pass a message onto Harry's band though," Minerva waved off his appreciation, "Tell them about this Ministry inspection and that I said for them to handle it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Handle it? What in Merlin's name does that mean?" Albus brow went up, "And how do you know they call themselves a band?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Never you mind the details, just deliver the message."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The easy dismissal made him scoff, "Minnie?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why didn't you ever marry into Abby and Orion's marriage when they asked you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Transfiguration professors stared at him, mouth agape. Yes, she had been proposed to many times by the married couple when she worked for Orion at the Ministry. She'd always declined because the, then, Lord Black was her boss. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And after, well… "We don't talk about this."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We didn’t before, we do now."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Albus… “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She trailed off and Albus wasn't surprised when the animagus wandered toward his window. Fawkes was back perching next to the glass and Minerva absently ran a hand through his father's as she contemplated. After a couple of minutes, the Headmaster wasn't sure that she was going to answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just between us… I always thought that they only wanted me because I could have children. Because I could have naturally conceived for Orion and broken his marriage contract to Walburga."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Portkey finished, Albus sat back in his chair and watched her. Everyone knew that the witch never wanted children, his brother and the brat's husband included, always citing that her students were more than enough after she started teaching. But, given the expectations placed on witches to marry and produce the next generation in magical communities, it was far from an absurd notion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That was never…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm well aware of that now, Albus."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should tell Abby."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Maybe I will."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noises from beyond the portrait alerted them to the approach of the others. Shaking herself from the confession she’d avoided for decades, Minerva made her excuses to the three wizards. She was back out of the office almost as quickly as they’d arrived and Albus wasn’t sure how to feel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was no wonder that he and the witch became best friends. After all, they’d both avoided their heart’s desires for longer than the average person could bear. Minevera hadn’t made it quite as long as he had, but she had the more difficult conversation ahead of her; Graves had been charming as could be after the proverbial band aid was ripped off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One swirling portkey later and the four wizards landed outside of Nurmengard in the gardens. Fawkes arrived in a burst of flames on an old iron chair to their right. He quickly received his familiar and started them into the fortress.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hagrid was mesmerized by the castle that he’d never been to. Severus hadn’t been back since James and Lily died, but the place hadn’t changed in the decade that only Albus and Graves were visiting, so he wasn’t quite as struck as the Care of Magical Creatures professor. All Newt could muster was a snort at his prodigy’s amazement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He resisted the urge to comment until they were entering Gellert’s suite, “Yeah, bit of a blast from the past. If Theseus was here, I’d say we smuggle Graves out for old times’ sake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or, we could dangle you from the ramparts by your toes,” Gellert suggested as Albus led the smaller troop into the kitchen, following his instructions across their mating bond, “Been dreaming about doing that for a half a century!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“G…” Percy corrected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of the residing adults and Capri were gathered in the kitchen around a full assortment of brunch items. It didn't appear that any of the teenagers had managed to find their way out yet and Albus wasn’t surprised; the previous day had certainly drained all of them and not just Harry. He was more distracted by the fact that Percy hadn’t managed to make his way into a shirt yet, as even Sirius had managed that where he sat across the table from the married couple, arm draped across the back of Narcissa’s seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spotted two tattoos instantly. The first was on his left forearm and was a pyramid with "Always Stay Vigilant' written on all three sides and an all seeing eye on the middle. Adjacent to it was a deathly hallows symbol with 'For the Greater Good' before it in Gellert's handwriting. It was a perfect match for the tattoo Albus had in the exact same place, the mark a product of Gellert drawing on him during their summer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His distraction seemed to amuse the resident Dark Lord, who snorted at the fae’s thought with a grin, before glaring at Newt and going back to his newspaper.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To be fair, Newt had the decency to blush, unaware of his mentor’s tension with his mates, and offered, “Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ignore him,” Percy instructed, nodding toward the seat at the end of the table on his other side, which the magizoologist dropped into, “Restless night on the siren front…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uncle Sev!” Capricornia cried as she launched herself at the potions master from Sirius’ lap. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire caught her and settled her on his hip, placing a kiss on her forehead, as they all got situated around the table. Albus took the seat next to Newt on Sirius’ other side, while Hagrid took the opposite end of the table. Severus summoned a spare chair from the corner to sit between the other professor and his best friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus snorted, as the Headmaster knew that it might have been a restless night, but the couple had certainly found enough reason to go back to sleep this morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy winked at the fae, but didn’t otherwise stop his conversation with Newt, “Have you talked to him today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unaware of the ginger flushing to the point that his face matched his hair, the younger Scamander brother huffed, “Yes and no. Went by the Ministry, but they’re running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need to get by there,” The Director looked over at the clock on the wall that was creeping toward half past noon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are not going anywhere until Harry gets up,” Gellert informed his husband, newspaper dropping, “I’ve had to hear about Theseus Scamander marrying into this family for years! It’s been tempting to marry him just to shut you up and I will not extend the misery because you are a workaholic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know he’s like a son to me,” Percy offered, more for Albus than his husband, as he felt a strum of jealousy across his bond with the fae at their mate’s comment, “How’s Tina holding up at Macusa?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Newt shrugged, “Fine. Apparently there is a betting pool on how long it’ll take before the Ministry calls them crying, begging for help. She’s got ten galleons on you offering first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert snorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that cheating?” Narcissa asked, waving a hand in Percy’s directions, “All things considered?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius laughed, “No, they all work for him. They had a chance to make the smart bet, she may as well capitalize on their stupidity.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was Harry alright last night?” Hagrid finally butted into the conversation, “Being awake when his inheritance started comin’ in and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus was honestly surprised that the half giant lasted that long.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was fine,” It was Gellert who answered, folding his paper and sliding it across the table to Narcissa, “Uncomfortable as all get out, but he wasn’t in any real danger; except for maybe that floo travel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You let him use the floo?” Severus gasped, leaning forward to stare Albus down around Sirius and Narcissa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster rolled his eyes, “It was necessary. He and the second generation of Marauders had holed themselves up in the first round’s old apartment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius caught the vampire’s eyes over Cissy’s head, “He had it pretty secure if you ask me. There just wasn’t room to house any adults there with them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t enough for the young vampire, “But you let him use the floo? While his magic was unstable?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was fine, Severus,” Gellert assured, “Came stumbling out and the first thing I did was drug him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Always closest to the Dark Lord of all James’ family, Severus accepted the assurance from him. At that, Albus was the one to roll his eyes. Sure, he got nothing but skepticism from his son, but the Liberator got the benefit of the doubt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa prevented anyone from commenting further as she slammed the paper onto the table with a huff, “It’s not here!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cissy, you knew it wasn’t going to be,” Sirius reminded her with a chuckle, “It always takes two days for Divorce Decrees to be published. Relax, Griphook confirmed that he had it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus had heard the Goblin’s comment the night before, but he hadn’t thought about the implications. Wondering at them now, after his conversation with Severus, he pondered aloud, “I wonder if we could get it postponed for a few more days.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If looks could kill, Narcissa’s glare would have had him a corpse, “Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hands raised in surrender, knowing that the witch had more reasons to want out of her marriage, then most people could even imagine. Still, they were in a war and had a strategic opportunity to press their advantage due to Tom’s misconception, “I know you want out Cissy, but the Dark Lord and Lucius both think that you’re on their side and running with the children.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her confusion was palpable, “How?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy, Gellert, and Albus were all relieved when Severus jumped into the conversation. They weren’t ashamed to admit what Harry had done, nor were they worried about anyone present endangering the boy intentionally. But, the reality was that the fewer people who knew about the deception, then the better off their grandson was. It took them a moment to agree that sticking with Harry’s story was best.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told him it was likely,” Severus told her, “He thought it all but confirmed when your wedding rings were found at the Dursleys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Narcissa demanded, “Harry’s family?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry told me last night, when I was tucking him in, that Draco dropped them accidentally,” Percy told the group, “Apparently they only discovered that they’d fallen out of his pocket when they went to put them in a random trash can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sighed, “Poor things, they must be so upset.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus shrugged, “That there was unnecessary violence done, yes, But, apparently you all weren’t wrong in worrying about the Dursleys’ treatment of Harry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How bad?” Sirius demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad,” Severus told him, locking gazes with the Marauder, “Even for you or I.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no doubt that he meant Tobias Snape or Walburga Black. Everyone at the table knew it. Hagrid couldn’t fight tears at the comparison, unable to imagine Harry going through something like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The animagus finally looked away with a sigh, reaching to take a large gulp from his tea, “Coming from you, I believe it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cissy,” Severus started, “Could you…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll check on him,” She assured her best friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s already gotten mind healing done,” Percy told them, “Since the last time they harmed him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch was surprised by that, as most teenagers didn’t understand the importance of mind healing. At the same, she probably should have expected that Lily’s son would be smarter than most people his age, “Well, we can’t keep sitting here twiddling our thumbs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got up and started moving out of the kitchen to go and wake up the teenagers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to help!” Capri declared, crawling down to follow after her mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the doorway, Narcissa turned back to her Headmaster, “If it’s necessary, I’ll ask for a delay in publication, but I’m not happy about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Cissy,” Albus offered, accepting her tight nod as she started back out of the room, “We need to try and figure out where he’s holed up. G, could you…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll burn incense night and day,” The seer assured, “If I pick up anything, you’ll be the first to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go get ready. Find out what the Ministry knows,” Percy said, chugging the rest of his coffee. As he stood he pointed toward the door, “Sirius, go get dressed. You’re coming in with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ehh,” The Marauder went back to his plate, “Let them stew.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The vampire rolled his eyes as he rounded the table behind his godson. Percy reached forward and hauled him up by the ear, “Go and get dressed. Now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ow! Ow! Alright! I’m going!” He didn’t really have a choice as Percy was still dragging him by the ear, back toward the bedrooms and out of sight, “Mean old man!... Owww!!! Merlin’s bloody ball sack! That was unnecessary, sir!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus’ grin was an undeniable sign of his pleasure at the other wizard’s suffering, as was the subtle shake of his shoulders as he silently laughed, and both only caused Albus’ eyes to roll harder. He’d long since given up on getting everyone from that generation to admit that they actually adored the piss out of one another. The fighting had mostly been across house lines, with his daughter as the oddball, but unless they went for each other’s throats, Albus saw no reason to take back up the mantle of peacemaker for that generation, which he’d passed onto Lily before her death.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to acknowledge that watching Percy boss Sirius around like it was his God given right to do so, shirtless, was all the more appealing. Few people besides Albus took charge of anyone in this particular group of people. It was interesting, not being the one necessarily in charge… In fact, he found it very attractive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert snorted, but said nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy released his nephew at the door to the Marauder’s rooms, having given him something to wear earlier that morning, and ignored when the boy kept mouthing off from behind the closed door. He only stopped because Narcissa was still standing in the hallway, as Capri jumped up trying to reach the door knob to Harry’s set of rooms… He supposed it was the entire second coming of the Marauders’ set of rooms, truly. Hopefully he’d even live long enough to see a third generation kick Harry in the arse, though he doubted anything could compare to this stunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I really can help,” Narcissa seemed to be repeating the offer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I can get it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hand going out with a slight pass of his fingers, the toddler jumped again, and then lifted off the floor as Percy approached them. She cheered victoriously and took off declaring to go wake up her brother. Cissy turned to him with a grin, “She could get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He returned the gesture, deflecting, “Well, you certainly didn’t help her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pssh, she thinks she can do everything,” Narcissa muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a common trait in children, I’ve found.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Later, Percy would point out that it had been said as a joke. And was directed more toward her idiot mate than the witch, which would have to justify his surprise when she turned to him in tears. It took a moment for the implication to catch up to him, “I didn’t mean it like…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But it’s true, we did. Sirius and I trying and not telling anyone, him and James deciding to sniff out the leak in the Ministry’s auror department by themselves, Lils using Reggie as a spy,” Tears poured from her eyes, “We were idiots.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the kitchen, Albus almost had a panic attack as he caught the confession. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa didn’t seem to think it was much of one and just trailed off crying. Percy pulled her into a hug, “Cissy, you were twenty-one years old.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And idiots.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy took a deep breath as he held her, because part of him agreed, but, “Often fall the young and bold. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A shudder passed through Narcissa as he held her. When they were girls spending the night with their Grandma Vinda in Nurmengard… To the Ministry they’d had to be on the Regulated Visitors list, but to her and her sisters, they’d just had sleepovers… Andromeda had once said that hugging Gellert Grindelwald’s husband was like hugging a mountain. It was a metaphor that she’d found utterly perfect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percival Graves was dark and dangerous from a certain perspective, but he was also steady and strong. There was something grounding about him, even though he was just as grand as either of his mates. Whenever Lily used to refer to the old saying, ‘when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object,’ Narcissa had always thought of the vampire as the immovable object.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just don’t say that within a mile of the teenagers,” Narcissa finally demanded when she dried up, “I will be very cross with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wizard laughed, "I'll restrain myself. They don't need the encouragement."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wiped her eyes and followed her daughter into the rooms for Harry's band. Looking around, the space had a large sitting room before the bedrooms, filled with tan furniture. There were pictures and diagrams on the wall; Cissy didn't take the time to get close enough to see the prank blueprints or plans for the twins' joke shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville was already awake, along with Fred and George. The twins were towering behind Capri by the time she joined them, as the girl once again tried to open the door to her brother's room without aid. There was a teapot steaming in front of the Longbottom heir on the coffee table and three cups in varying states.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good morning, dear. Sleep well?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Like the dead."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, everyone is on pins and needles waiting for Harry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course, I'm sorry. We should have gotten him up. It was just…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He trailed off, unsure how to sum up the previous day and Narcissa couldn't find any fault in that. She smiled, "No reason to apologize. You're the good one in this lot, I've started to assume?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snorted so hard that it had to hurt, "I try, but they make it very difficult."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't believe his lies!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're the angels in the band!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The witch didn't dignify the twins with a response, "I suppose it's only right. You being Remy's godson and all."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bewildered and slightly haunted tone caught her attention and the mind healer read his ghosts across his face, realizing, "You didn't know that…" After a moment of silence, trepidation palpable in the air, she elaborated, "When Lily and Alice realized that they were pregnant, Sirius was named Harry's godfather and Remus was named yours. I'm so sorry. I should have realized that Augusta would have cut him out. She never approved of him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The citation of his lycanthropy as the reason went unsaid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment Neville seemed to shake off his surprise, hand flying into his hair excitedly, "Are you kidding me? Remus Lupin is my godfather! That's the greatest thing I've ever been told! He's the coolest person I know!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm offended."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Indefinitely."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa rolled her eyes at the pair of scarlet teens.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Frank's son didn't even seem to notice them, "I wonder why he didn't tell me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her smile was gentle but sad, "He probably didn't want to put you in a difficult situation with your grandmother."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mean old witch has to ruin everything good," Neville cursed, "Patronus charm would probably work on her."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing that he was still absorbing the new information, Narcissa moved to the last closed door besides her son's, with a wink in his direction. Harry's room was dark, as only a smidge of light broke through the drawn curtains of his windows. The first thing that she saw were golden eyes peering at her from the bed, making the witch jump in fright.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As her eyes adjusted, she realized that it was only Hedwig. Harry was fast asleep on his stomach, sheets and blankets tangled hopelessly around his hips, and one arm cradled under his pillow, while the other cuddled his owl close and his nose was buried in her feathers. It was an adorable sight, which Sirius agreed to across their bond.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iggy cooed at her as she approached.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good morning to you as well. We were hoping to have Harry join us."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She seemed to consider that for a moment, before turning her head and nipping at a few of Harry's curly locks. The fifteen year old only shifted slightly and buried deeper into her feathers. So, she nipped at him again, but only got the same response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even Narcissa jumped when the owl released a shrill and loud shriek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry rolled onto his back like he'd been struck, "Merlin damn it all, Iggy! I'm up, I'm up!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was the first sight of Harry's scarring that Narcissa got after hearing Severus and Sirius' conversation at the table. She gasped and a hand flew to her mouth in shock. Much later, she would be glad that Sirius was alone in their room as the image conjured across their bond, causing him to lose his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Gryffindor was confused at first, but remembered when he looked down and quickly pulled a blanket up, "I'm fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fine?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, fine," Harry insisted, "Like, haven't been touched since I was eleven. Got mind healing done when I was thirteen. Fine."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite pulling the blanket up, he held her eyes, and Cissy realized that the action may have been more for her sake then his. Forcing herself to breathe, the witch read his ghosts. Harry had been through too much not to have them concerning his parents, just like Neville, but she confirmed that the Dursleys were barely a residual marker, a surprise given what he'd endured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took a deep breath, "Right, I'm sorry. I was shocked… Everyone is anxious to see you this morning."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snorted, throwing the blanket off and moving to sit on the bed's edge cradling his head, "Nosy tossers. They just want to know about my Valentine dream."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's a very old term for it," Narcissa noted as he moved to stand up, "But yes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He froze for a moment, "Is it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Humming, the siren cited, "Hasn't been popular since the twenties."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The seeker pulled out an undershirt but didn't further comment on the turn of phrase. Sirius had calmed just enough to say that his silence all but confirmed their suspicion. She just followed Harry out to the sitting room, letting Iggy fly out in front of her to take up residency on her human's shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They emerged to high pitched, squealing laughter from Draco's open room, and the familiar sound made his mother smile, "Oh no, the tickle monster was awakened."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The what?" Neville demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh it's their game. If she wakes Draco up the tickle monster gets awakened and seeks his revenge."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry snorted, chugging Neville's tea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thief."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Have a heart. My head is about to throb off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Only because it's your birthday."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, yes, Happy Birthday, dear! Also, well… Your father is here as well," Cissy butted in, "He indicated that he brought something for your hangover."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn't seem to know how to take that news, but he was saved from having to say anything by her toddler flying out of Draco's room. The little girl made a dash for Harry, rushing behind his legs and clinging to his pants, "Help! Help! He's gonna get me!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco charged out after her, but skidded to a stop when he realized who his sister had taken residency behind. All of them knew better than to challenge Harry, their fearless leader was a tank with the dueling prowess of Merlin himself. The blonde Slytherin raised a hand to his face, "Oh my, what happened? I can't remember a thing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It happened again, Dray! It happened again!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The brown skinned siren huffed, but reached back to pick Capri up, "Alright, let's get this over with. Common, tickle monster."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Mum!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa flushed, "Forgive me, sweetie."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The twins tormented their friend all the way from the living quarters. Capri, according to her brother, didn't help by fueling the fire, however unintentional, with more embarrassing stories about him. Harry finally called off the others, reminding them that he routinely, apparently, got called kitty by Remus' son.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was excited to meet Andy's daughter and grandson. Though she was sure that her older sister had a right fit at her only child settling down and making her a grandmother. Cissy would have to tease her for being an old crone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they all descended the stairs, everyone from the kitchen had moved into the living area. The usual birthday congratulations rang out. Sirius and the Director hadn't returned yet, but seeing Harry light up and throw himself into Hagrid's embrace was charming. The giant fawned over him for several minutes, while the rest of his band descended on the spread of food that had been moved to a side table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How are ya feelin' there, Harry? Heard it was a long night."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Pssh, long night. My head feels like a volcano about to erupt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Poor thing, happens ta all young sirens though," Hagrid told him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, letting the professor do a quick check on Hedwig and give her treats. He wasn't aware of anything amiss, until a dark tower appeared in the peripheral vision, by his other shoulder. Turning, the mastermind realized that it was his father, having missed the vampire in whatever shadowy corner he'd certainly taken residency in before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hand was outstretched with a vial. Harry knew from the color and shape what it was, he didn't have to ask. He still couldn't manage more than blinking at Severus Snape for several long second.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From his place on the couch next to Gellert, Albus was tense for the pair. Severus looked ready to come out of his skin, not that anyone else would be able to tell that, but the Headmaster could. He felt immense relief for his son when Harry finally reached for the potion, uncorked it with his thumb, and downed it like a shot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The newly formed siren vanished the empty vial wandlessly, offering, "Thank you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're welcome."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Severus reclaimed his seat, Percy and Sirius rejoined them, and the younger wizard proclaimed, "I've been through interrogations that were less tense."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy cut a look at his nephew, "As an Auror or a suspect?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Both."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Sirius got done fussing over him and moved on to Draco, who was quickly falling in love with the attention of someone who was as dramatic and flamboyant as him, Harry turned to collapse on the cushion between his sitting grandparents. His head landed on the Liberator's lap and he wiggled to get more comfortable. He was perfectly used to demanding the older siren's attention whenever he wanted it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy laughed where he was standing by the fireplace, where he always left his lordship ring for the Graves family. Both of his mates had been surprised, although for very different reasons. Albus wasn't used to Harry treating him as more than his Headmaster, although the fae adjusted fairly quickly, letting his hand rest on Harry's calf and rubbing soothing circles there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert was a bit more complicated. His husband hadn't completely shed the notion that Harry would be afraid of him after the vision the teen got last night. He wasn't prepared for the boy to be unfazed by it, once he'd gotten the answers that he wanted. Still, after a moment he ran a hand through the unruly curls like he usually did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing up at his husband, it wasn't the vampire's reassuring grin that drew his attention or caught him as odd. It was the fact that the man wasn't putting his American lordship ring on his left middle finger, next to his wedding band, where it had rested for over a century. Glancing over, the Dark Lord realized why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Potter family ring had taken up the other ring's normal place, for the first time since James' death, when the lordship defected back to his husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he felt his siren mate's curiosity, which also spurred on Albus, Percy tried to offer his reasoning. First, reminding everyone whose godson they had imprisoned illegally was more powerful if he used his Peverell heir status. Second, he was considering offering to transfer back to Europe in a Director position full time, if the Ministry was interested, and letting Tina take over Macusa. It would be a great bridge between the Head Aurorship of Alastor Moody and Theseus' place as Lord Commander.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus offered the tidbit that Moody wanted back into retirement and that Sirius should reapply for the position if he wanted it, while Gellert was about to burst from excitement at his husband being back full time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Last but not least in his reasoning, Percy moved to tower over Harry by the sofa, "Give me your left hand."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry offered the appendage confused, but then it hit him what the Director was putting on his hand. It was the Potter heir ring. It was a black skull, covered in emeralds, with a black rose on the top of the forehead. Looking at the ring the older wizard was wearing on his middle finger, instead of his ring finger where he put Harry's, the only difference was the Deathly Hallows symbol where the rose was on his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This does not leave your hand until you get married, then it does one finger over. Do you understand me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Harry confirmed, running his other hand across the ring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let me show you something else," Percy took his hand once more, "It takes a good bit of pressure, but if you push the rose in," He demonstrated and let Harry feel how his own ring heated up, "It's a direct link to me. Emergencies only, but I'll know exactly where you are and I'll be able to get to you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh," Harry looked at it speculatively, "Could you get to me in Hogwarts?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No heir ring had ever been engaged in Hogwarts," Albus was the one to answer, twinkling blue eyes settled Harry with a look, "And we are not going to have to find out."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right. Got it," His gaze returned to the ring, "It would have been convenient to have in the graveyard."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all knew the story and flinched, Percy responding, "Yes well, if you'd have ever come to visit, you would have had it. The current Lord of House Potter has to put it on you to activate it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oops," Harry grinned up at him, shoving the vampire's hand away when he went to ruffle his hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Opps, indeed," Percy allowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well?" Gellert finally demanded, knowing his mates were both about to burst, along with Newt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well?" Harry returned with too straight a face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sirius and Draco both snorted in unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narcissa and Severus rolled their eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily Capri, who had wandered back to Severus, was oblivious to his toying with them, and demanded, "They wanna know about your mating dream, silly!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She hopped down and went to crawl onto the couch where Harry was laying with his grandfather, exclaiming, "I can't wait to get my mating dream! It's going to be perfect and magical and the best day of my life!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Giving a dramatic faint like a fair maiden in stories, hand going to her forehead and everything, Capri collapsed on top of Harry. She landed right on top of him, knocking the breath out of the teenager, who gave a startled grunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There it is," Neville pointed out at the side table with breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Draco asked him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Her resemblance to you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As a small food tussle broke out amongst the two, Capri became impatient. Rolling over, tiny knees digging into Harry, she crawled up him and got so close their noses were touching, "Who's your mate? Was it amazing? What happened? Tell me everything!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry reached up to tickle her, causing the toddler to scream and make a mad dash for Albus at the other end, "Yes, Theseus Scamander is my mate. No, nothing carnal took place."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank the gods," Gellert muttered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus and Percy huffed at the same moment, earning their mate a funny look from Harry, "What happened in your mating dream?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing you ever need worry about," The older siren dismissed going scarlet, "Albus, aren't you supposed to be getting the child some answers about last night?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Though it was tempting to mess with the blonde for a bit, Harry's gaze swung to him and Percy, and Albus could see his next question forming, so the Chief Warlock quickly moved on, "That is supposed to be occurring. Newton? Hagrid?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was up like a shot, having missed the younger Scamander brother where he was sitting across the room from the band's corner in a recliner. He turned, putting himself between Iggy, on the back of the sofa, and his mate's strange younger brother. The man wasn't getting near his owl again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, you don't have to…" Newt trailed off with a sigh, knowing he had not made a good impression the night before and glared at Hagrid, "This is all your fault!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus saw Harry's eyes turn to slits at the magizoologist talking to Hagrid that way and rolled his eyes, "For the love of God, Newt, stop digging."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger wizard turned back confused. He realized his mistake when Theseus' young mate looked about ready to slap him. Newt hissed, frustrated, hating that he looked like the arsehole in this situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know," Hagrid owned his part unaware, waving Harry over to him in a recliner, "Come over here, Harry. Bring yer Hedwig."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry did as his friend asked quickly and without hesitation, but he was still eyeing Newt Scamander skeptically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't be too cross with Newt, Harry," The gigantic wizard requested, "I have been keepin' somethin' from him for years. Now, do us a favor and take that anklet off her, so I can show you what."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry looked apprehensive, "You know she doesn't like that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neville snorted, "All but took my hand off when I got too close to it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's because it's charmed," Newt butted in, sinking down on the coffee table next to Harry and Hagrid, "This one got it from me some five years ago now. Only myself or her bonded can take it off."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus remembered his grounds keeper turned professor talking about registering Hedwig post bonded that morning and Fawkes' comment about having a daughter struck him in one clusterfuck of a moment, "Hagrid, you didn't?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh but he did," Newt confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You didn't see them!" Hagrid insisted, "Those muggles were awful. Lily never would have forgiven me for sendin' him back there. Not without a little protection!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Knowing what the Dursleys had done to Harry, no one could object to that comment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The professor continued, "And then you insisted on hidin' the relation. So, I couldn't just give her ta him. When I ran into Newt at Eeylop's it just felt like it was meant ta be."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, I outwit you people," Harry called the room to order, "Not the other way around. What is going on?!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus let the comment go and gestured to the owl, "Take her chain off and find out." He turned to Fawkes, who was perched on the arm of the couch next to him, "I cannot believe you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The phoenix trilled pleasantly enough and bobbed his head in Harry's direction, a clear instruction to get on with the proceedings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sharing a look with Draco, who shrugged, Harry raised Hedwig a bit on his arm. Then he unlatched the anklet and handed it off to Newt Scamander, when the magizoologist reached for it. He felt when the snowy owl took off from his arm and quickly turned to observe her pass around the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she flew, a mist began to grow around her. Harry was concerned, but Newt stood and put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring the young siren that she was alright. Her true form was just emerging.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a couple of passes around the room, the fog started to dissipate. Harry gasped as he saw that his owl had turned into phoenix with pure white feathers, black talons and a beak of the same color, while her eyes remained golden. He didn't connect the dots to his shared story with Theseus' until Fawkes flew up to join Hedwig, the thought registering that, with Theseus' familiar being a Tocha Kachina, that sort of chance would be astronomical.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment of preening with Fawkes, Hedwig flew down and batted her wings at him. As she always had when she wanted to be held. Harry shook himself enough to reach for her, "So, she could have broken out of the charm?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If she'd known you were in danger, yes," Newt confirmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Woah," was all he could manage, stroking her feathers, moving so his friends who had wandered over could pet her as well. After a moment she turned on his arms to look the Dumbledore heir directly in the eyes. He was confused at first and just offered, "Hi?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then his magic shifted. Something changed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hello.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Holy fuck!" Harry startled, causing the phoenix to take to the air as his arm flailed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus jumped up, chuckling, and grabbed his grandson by the shoulders, "It's alright! You're fine! Deep breath, it's just the bond opening so you two can communicate."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That realization coming to Harry at the same time his grandfather explained, he nodded. The forging bond with the phoenix was different from the now open bond with Theseus. He'd been worried when he first woke up to Hedwig's shriek, because the older wizard was shielding, before he remembered that aurors were required to do so at work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the phoenix took up a place on Harry's shoulder, Newt moved to explain, "You see, Hagrid saw me in Eeylop's after purchasing her. He said that he wanted to set her free, but needed to pass her off as an owl until he got the chance."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The half giant nodded in confirmation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't mean to scare you last night, but when I saw her, what had happened started to come together."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why didn't you tell me, Hagrid?" Harry finally chuckled, delighted as it sunk in that it was really Iggy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ignorance seemed ta be the best method for keepin' ya safe, Harry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco huffed as he stroked the phoenix, "Because that's worked so well."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can I pet the new bird?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry waved over Draco's little sister from where Albus had passed her to Gellert. She was delighted by the phoenix, but they were all surprised when Hedwig seized her by the shoulders and soared around the room. Rather than being scared Capri squealed and called for Narcissa and Sirius to look, as if anyone's eyes were anywhere else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a couple of passes around the room, Hedwig put her down. Capri reached up for the phoenix hovering above her. Harry's girl batted at the grabby toddler playfully, but she accidentally snagged a silver bracelet with her talon, causing the fine metal to break apart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uh oh," The girl reached for her bracelet at Harry's feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's alright, I'll fix it," He offered, pulling his wand from his pocket and squatting down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus and the magizoologists hollered for him to stop, while Iggy tried to send a warning across their bond, but it was too late. Harry cast the spell with his wand housing Fawkes' tailfeather and fire shot backward from it, scorching his hand. With a scream, the wand dropped and the teen hit his knees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco grabbed his sister and the band moved to hover behind the adults, figuring they'd best let the professionals handle this one. Narcissa wasn't an embodiment healer, but she could certainly treat a burn, and Severus carried healing potions, so the two got to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What the hell was that?" Neville demanded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Harry ground out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can't use that wand anymore," Albus informed him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No shit, Sherlock. How about you earn your genius card and tell us why!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy couldn't stop a laugh at their grandson, "Abby would be so proud."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Caught off guard by Harry's reaction, the Headmaster rolled his eyes after a moment, "Phoenix familiars are very possessive. You won't be able to use a wand core from any other phoenix."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So I have to get a new wand?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes," Albus looked at the others, "I don't like him being without one. Not after last night's stunt."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Me neither," Gellert agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Percy hummed in agreement and none of the other adults disagreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Fawkes claims that's how Hedwig wound up in Eeylop's to begin with," Albus told them as the familiar sent a message along the bond.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed as Hedwig told him the same thing, "She gave feathers to Ollivander."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This should be simple enough, then," Albus shrugged, "I'll take him on a quick trip to Diagon Alley to see Gar."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Quick my arse," Sirius muttered, "Dad always said that the only person on Earth that could philosophize on your level was that ex of yours."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry and the other teens gasped. He and Neville shared shocked faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fred's hand flew to his heart, "You dated Garrick Ollivander?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The scandal!" George proclaimed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus waved them off, not concerned with his age-old Hogwarts romance, until another voice assaulted his ears like nails on a chalkboard board.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Scandal indeed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking over at G, Albus recognized the look in his eyes just as his fae empathy lit up with incredible jealousy across their mating bond. He rolled his eyes, "Don't be ridiculous. We were fifteen."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gellert wasn't placated with that, given what he did in his mating dreams with Albus and Percival respectively at fifteen. He glared at the redhead, "Why do you have to take him?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because you can't leave Nurmengard, Hagrid would make him a target, with Harry being without a wand, Narcissa is in hiding," He pointed to each of them, "Severus is still a spy and those two have an appointment with the Ministry."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let Scamander take him," Gellert dismissed, "Call it bonding."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Let it go, G," Percy rolled his eyes at his husband, and grabbed Harry by the shoulders, "Sirius and I have to go in. You've got your ring, use it if anything gets out of hand, alright?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's my boy," Percy motioned to the fireplace, "Sirius, move it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once the two wizards were clear of the floo, Albus started moving Harry toward the fireplace to get them to the Leaky Cauldron. He'd have to apparate them back so that no one knew where they were going; conserving energy now was a must. He grabbed Harry's old wand, in case Garrick wanted to recycle any part of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The band announced that they were going back to their rooms, only Harry knowing that they did this to be alone in case he sent them a Patronus. Newt used the floo first to go and check on Tina and Queenie at Macusa, while Albus gave Hagrid and Severus the portkey to take them back to Hogwarts. The giant left Harry's cake and told him that he'd picked out a phoenix worthy cage for Iggy years before, promising to bring it back or give it to the Headmaster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus left Narcissa and G sitting alone in the parlor, as Capri followed after her brother. Landing in the bar where Harry was waiting, dodging any reporters from the shadows next to the fireplace, the fae had to admit that distance from the Dark Lord did nothing to lessen knowing how unhappy the siren was about this. He couldn't do anything about it though; there was nothing between he and Garrick, a happily married man, anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cast an illusionary spell over Harry. It wasn't perfect but it would keep eyes from naturally following him. Albus had the benefit of having deaged and no one remembering what he used to look like at large.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they emerged into the alley, Harry looked over at his fae grandfather, "Grandpa?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hummed and looked over, hand going to Harry's shoulder to keep track of him in the fray of Diagon Alley. It wasn't until he took in the slight grin and curious eyes that Albus remembered the younger Gryffindor's previous curiosity, "Go ahead and ask. You'd be the first."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, you and Grandpa had never talked before last night," Harry recalled, "But you had to have a mating dream. What the hell?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster laughed as he felt Gellert go berserk twice over. Apparently the siren had never thought about the fact that they didn't only have dreams with him either, "Well, I suppose the tale got a little misconstrued over the years. I never acknowledged him or spoke in our corporeal forms. We met in our mating dreams and spoke."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollivander's was just coming into view, but Harry couldn't pull his eyes away from the taller wizard, "I'm not trying to be nosy. I'm really not, because I know what it's like to not want to share the details. It's just… Did you not like him?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was just in front of him, between his body and the entrance as Albus reached for the door. He froze and looked at his grandson for a moment, Lily's green eyes staring at him earnest and confused. For once it didn't hurt to think about, much less admit, "Oh, I was smitten with Percival Graves."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Harry's eyebrows pulled together, Albus continued, "I got my mating dream to both of them on the same night, my birthday right before my seventh year started. Gellert was first and, without going into details, that was the adventure of a lifetime… Or at least I thought until I met the fiend in person. By the time I got to my dream with Percy, in a word, I was overwhelmed."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's Grandpa Gel for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus laughed at the pouty Dark Lord in Nurmengard, but he could tell the man wasn't really offended. The Liberator was well aware of how overwhelming he could be. He just used the fact that his presence easily became addictive to his advantage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Indeed. Anyway, Grandpa Percy and I just talked. He calmed me down and we couldn't wait to meet in person. After I graduated, I was supposed to to end my gap year in the States with him," Albus saw the moment that the realization dawned on Harry and the Headmaster's smile turned bittersweet, but he nodded in confirmation and opened the door, "Things got complicated."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I knew it!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was Garrick Ollivander's declaration as they came through the door, his hand coming down to slam against wood. He had about fifty wands stacked up on his only desk in black and gold cases. Amid all the wands on the desk were two very familiar phoenixes that the wandmaker was stroking, which left Albus to scoff.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, it was a real mystery of the universe. Fawkes is here," Albus grinned at his old friend, revealing his dimples to Harry for the first time, "I can only imagine who else might show up."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You think you're so funny, Albus," Ollivander dismissed, though he warmly embraced his oldest friend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry observed the two wizards hugging over the desk and moved to perch on top of it, so he could look out into the alley, "I think Grandpa Gel is gonna break out and we're all gonna suffer."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At his friend's confused look, Albus shook his head, but he did back up, "Alright, I know he's only fifteen, but he'd got a familiar. He needs his adult wand."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And an interesting birthday it must have been."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry grinned, "That's one way to put it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I took the liberty of pulling all the lovely lady's tailfeathers that she's donated."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All of… Iggy! This is more than I had to go through last time!" Harry accused, "You have a serious problem, madam!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swiped a talon at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I do not.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, you do! He gives two and you go for a plethora!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yet I've spawned no Dark Lords and he's got a fifty/fifty shot.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes gave an indignant squwak and nipped at Hedwig.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus didn't know what the female phoenix said, but Harry was rolling and his familiar flew up on a wand shelf to ignore all of them, "Alright, let's get this underway. I told everyone this would be a quick visit."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was pretty optimistic through the first half of the lot, but he started growing more irritable as the options dwindled. Albus did everything he could to encourage him, Garrick as well, but even the wandmaker had to admit he'd never had this difficult of a fit before. By the time they got to the last three boxes, the youngest wizard was done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're certainly a Dumbledore," Ollivander noted</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hush you," Albie snapped, rubbing Harry's shoulders, "Three more. It's got to be here. Exception is not without adversity."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren's eyes rolled, "If you're going to make it worse with your one liners, go wait outside!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled, "Fair enough. So much for a quick visit."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Definitely made a liar out of you," Harry picked up the third wand, but it sputtered out like all the others, "What if…"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"There are other wand cores."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Dumbledores glared at the wandmaker for even suggesting such a thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus just squeezed Harry's shoulder, "It's here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second fizzled out and then there was one. They all started at the last as Harry reached for it without prompting, longing for this visit from hell to be over. Both of the men, grown, accomplished wizards, held their breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry picked up the last wand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Iggy's feather, elder wood, thirteen inches. It was promising. Albus could see that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, he didn't want Harry cursed with a wand even remotely like the elder wand. Not even a little bit. But, well… Exception may not be without adversity, but it was their given. Garrick was right; Harry was a Dumbledore just like his mother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It looked promising at first, gold sparks bursting from the pale wood, bright and strong, but then they started to dim. Soon it too flickered out completely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of wood slamming to wood reverberated around the room. Albus didn’t even move from where he’d crossed his arms over the desk. He’d lived with Aberforth Dumbledore; anger was no longer an emotion which could surprise him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, we move on to other cores,” He pushed forward.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry scoffed, “I would rather eat dirt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is not optional.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is if I walk out that door and go to Florean’s.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garrick didn’t miss a beat, “Grab me something chocolate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Albus corrected them, “No. You’re supposed to be on my side, Garrick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, fine,” Harry gave in, gesturing to the wands behind them, “What now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dragon heartstring?” Albus asked the wandmaker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would have to be… I know he’s a Dumbledore, but I don’t think unicorn hair is going to do it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Albus agreed quietly, still pondering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garrick knew that look, “You’re skeptical.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a Dumbledore thing, because he’s also a Grindelwald. It could easily be Dragon heartstring through Gellert’s family, but… His magic just seems to have too great a range. He’s always needed a wand as willful as he was,” The Headmaster jabbed a thumb toward Fawkes, who’d gifted the feather for Harry’s first wand, “I don’t see his magic opening up to a wand more inclined to follow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry knew that he had three neutral inheritances in parsel, siren, and genie magics, and then light and dark markers in his fae and vampire heritages. He also knew why it was a very bad idea to share that sort of information with too many people. Grandpa Gellert had been begging him not to tell anyone since he was thirteen, terrified of someone targeting him because of the previous terrorists' own history and choices. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His grandfather sighed, “We have to try though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garrick started toward the back, but found an irritable white phoenix blocking his path, as the edges of her wings burst into black flames and swatted at him. Harry and Albus didn’t even realize what was happening until her trill sounded around the room and both spun toward the exit to the back of the shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Iggy! What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? What?” Garrick demanded, “That’s all of your feathers! I even pulled the ones from the collectibles!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry laughed when Iggy rolled her eyes and started down the hallway leading to the back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garrick shrugged and with a wave of his wand closed up the store. All three of them moved quickly after the phoenix, “Alright, let’s assume she knows more than we do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my experience, phoenixes usually do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teenager rolled his eyes and followed them, finding both wizards annoying beyond all reason, “I’m going to end up breaking him out myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fawkes trilled sympathetically and flew over to his shoulder. Harry pet the brightly colored phoenix before taking off after the others. He followed them through the endless rows of wands for twenty minutes, watching as the packaging on each wand faded from brown, to black, and then to gold. Still they kept moving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was surprised when, eventually, the rows of shelves that had always seemed endless, came to a halt. They were in front of a large iron door with the images of wands and cores engraved into it. Harry noted that there were cores on the door that he didn’t think Garrick Ollivander even used anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is this, Gar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s the vault for commissioned wands,” The wandmaker disclosed, “My father stopped the practice and closed the vault after my grandfather died. I don’t even know how to get in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Albus cast a quick lumos, needing to get a closer look. There was thick dust gathered onto the door, but it did have a large iron ring for a door handle. Deciding to try the easiest method first, the Chief Warlock grabbed the ring and tried to push the door open. All he got was a burned hand, “Bloody blasted hell!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grandpa!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine! I’m fine!” He assured Harry, who appeared at his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From her place atop the last shelf of wands, Hedwig screeched. When they turned to look at her, the phoenix bobbed her white head in Harry’s direction. Both hoped the answer was that simple.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, your wand is inside,” Albus nodded toward the door, “You open it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Switching places with his grandfather, Harry took hold of the iron ring, but found that it remained cool to the touch. Pushing on the door did nothing, but after a moment, he felt magic gather around the door. Just when the sensation felt like it would be too much, a great wind blew around him, blowing the heavy iron door open, and yanking the ring free from his hold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ow,” Harry shook his hand, “Fuck all!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hedwig didn’t seem to care for his discomfort and flew into the room. His grandfather was more compassionate, grabbing his hand and looking at the cut on his palm where the ring had pulled skin off when jerked away. With a quick swipe of Albus Dumbledore’s thumb, the place stitched itself back up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I knew to expect great things from you, Mr. Potter,” Ollivander commented, heading into the room, “But this is just a delight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s eyes rolled, “I would have settled for cake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus snorted, letting a hand run over the fifteen year olds rambunctious hair, before following him into the vault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room they walked into was pristine, unlike the rest of the dust covered shop outside. Wood shelves housed the wands outside, that were stacked one on top of the other in their varied colored boxes, but there were only about fifty wands on the stone shelves here. They took up all four walls, each having its own place away from the others on the shelves, in their pure white boxes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking around, Garrick Ollivander had found Iggy stationed on a middle shelf of the wall to their right. Both wizards wandered over to their station with Fawkes, wondering at the envelope that the white haired wandmaker was holding. As they approached, he picked up the white box and extended it to Harry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea what’s inside, but your familiar is insistent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry shot the bird a look, “You couldn’t have insisted an hour ago?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wasn’t sure if he had it out there or not!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus snorted, unaware of the phoenix’s response beyond her trill.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the teenager opened the box, Albus and Garrick almost knocked heads trying to see inside at the same time. What they found was a wand that started off pale like the elder wand, but as it descended into a natural handle, the wood became black. At the top of the handle, they all saw three fangs engraved into the wood; knowing what they all did about balance, it was likely that there was a fourth fang on the part that they couldn’t see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like elder wood,” Garrick noted, “Although it’s been scorched by something. And those are vampire fangs. Not strong enough to be their own core, but significant boosters; especially if there is a blood relation.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed, “Let’s see how this goes, then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Albus watched, holding his breath once more, as his grandson picked up the wand. There was a warm sensation in the air as Harry took hold of the wand, followed by gold and white silver mist starting to flow from the wand to swirl around the young siren. As the mists spun like a vortex, sparks of every color erupted from the wand before it settled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The teenager’s cheer as the magic settled was worth their wait to get here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hugging his grandson tight, he still couldn’t help but wonder, “What exactly is this wand though?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed, unsure, taking a closer look at the magical conduit. There were, in fact, four fangs engraved in the top of the handle. He also found that there was a multicolored rock embedded in the bottom of the it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollivander held up the note he’d been looking at earlier, “It might be in this. The note from the patron who commissioned the wand.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry took the envelope, looking at the seal. It was a lion, wearing a wizard’s pointed hat, and holding a sword in its mouth. Curiosity peaked, the teenager recognized the semblance of the items, and looked to his grandfather, since he was the presiding Lord of House Dumbledore, the heir to Godric Gryffindor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know the seal, but it hasn’t been used since…” Albus shook his head and backed up, to explain to Harry a bit of their family history, “The original heir of the Lion’s court was turned into a vampire. At that time, vampires couldn’t inherit a wizarding seat, so the lordship defected to his younger brother, who had already married and taken his wife’s name of Dumbledore. Her sigil was already the phoenix.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had read a bit about the situation while researching his family, “He became prince of the vampire world, right? And founded the Prince line through his heir with Isolt Slytherin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Albus shrugged, “They weren’t mates, mind you, but I’ve read that he did love her. His mate, found much later, was some rich American plantation owner.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, his mate turned Claudia Graves and founded the Graves line,” Harry told him with a shrug, “He must, or maybe must’ve, I’m not sure… Either way, he must have been low key. I’ve never been able to find any more information about him, not even his name.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d ask Grandpa Percy, but he’s shielding for work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hummed, opening the envelope to read, but holding is so that they could do so together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This wand is made of elder wood, fourteen inches, from a tree in which a basilisk perished, it’s venom forever forged in the wood, seared in by the fire of a dragon. My mate and I both donated two fangs to its creation. His were soaked in the mist of an American Turul bird, while mine were submerged in sands of time taken straight from the magical city of Agrabah. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Its phoenix feather core is from the Snow Phoenix herself and, though it may not be the only feather she will ever give, it is her first. Along with its donation she gave the first pebble her mate ever collected for their nest; a rainbow gem from the Isle of Avalon. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’ve commissioned it for my favorite grandson. May your fifteenth birthday be as special as you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Prince of the Lion’s Court</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry…” Albus started, but then he trailed off. He was afraid to even give voice to his concerns, but the wand was too unique. It would be like putting another Elder wand into circulation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The siren didn’t seem to need the warning though, “Who are you telling?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Headmaster only settled when the note burst into flames. He could see that Harry knew exactly what he was worried about as he dropped the letter and let it burn out on the stone floor. It wasn’t like either of them would ever forget exactly what the wand was made of, or how.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Garrick Ollivander was utterly confused, “What is happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His old friend chuckled, “Nothing to be overly concerned about. Harry’s grandfather wanted anonymity. It’s elderwood, scorched by a dragon, but with Iggy’s feather.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Her first feather, actually!” Harry offered excitedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Albus agreed, starting to move out of the room as Fawkes jumped onto his shoulder, Iggy doing the same with Harry, “I”m so sorry for all the trouble, Gar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be ridiculous,” The wandmaker dismissed, “I haven’t had this much fun in years.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pocketting his new wand, Harry followed the older pair out of the vault. He hated not being able to keep the note, but with his memory, at least he’d never forget a single word. Vampires were not truly immortal, despite being able to deage, but they could live for hundreds or thousands of years if they stayed young and didn’t get themselves killed. The Graves line hadn’t had many generations, Claudia Graves had been Isolt Graves’ mother and Grandpa Percy’s grandmother, so he hoped the reigning Lord of House Graves would know if his great grandfather and the vampire’s mate were still alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they emerged from the back, Ollivander reopened the shop with a wave of his wand. As he was getting ready to say their farewells and get them back to Numengard, Albus remembered Harry’s previous wand in his pocket, “I know some wandmakers are starting to recycle, so I brought it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And their recycled wands will sit on their shelves until magic goes extinct!” Garrick hissed, “Idiotic practice, I can’t wait to see how long it takes them to figure out it's uselessness! You may as well keep it as a memento, Mr. Potter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tossed the wand back to Harry, who laughed as he reached to grab it, “Thanks, Mr. Ollivander.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the wand made contact with his hand, Harry gasped as a vision sucked him in. Technically there were two visions, they came back to back, and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This could all end today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Returning to his current time and space found Albus Dumbledore with a hand on each of his grandson’s shoulders, “You alright, Little Prince.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know where he is going to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took the Chief Warlock a second, but then the obvious answer struck him. He’d thought about telling Geller to keep his sight open, but he’d only learned that Harry was a seer the night before, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him this morning. Squaring shoulders with the teenager, he demanded, “Where?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Draco, he staged it to look like his mother was running to the Malfoy’s Parisian townhouse,” Harry disclosed, “He’s going there. They’ll be there around dinner. Him and Malfoy”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got to get you back to Nurmengard and get to the Ministry then,” Albus looked at the clock on Garrick’s wall. He only had a couple of hours to get Percy and Theseus to help him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry started quickly, having every intention of disclosing his second vision, “No, I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, we can handle this,” His grandfather cut him off with a gentle smile, “You got rid of the horcrux, this isn’t on you anymore.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The young siren studied him for a moment. Of course his family wasn’t going to let him run off to get into a fight with a band of child killers. What decent family would? He conceded quickly, “Right, right. I wasn’t there in the vision anyway. Habit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Four years of doing everything yourself, or with your band,” Albus shrugged, “I’m not surprised.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ollivander could see the tension in his old friend, even as he tried to stay calm for his grandchild. He inserted himself back into the conversation, “You should apparate from the back door. I’m sure reporters are rabid by now, after Harry went through the bar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re probably right,” The fae agreed with a chuckle, he and Fawkes following the wandmaker back down the hallway they’d just come from.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry conjured a patronus quickly, “Band practice in the garden… Bring my wolfsbane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent the stag out the front door, Iggy still perched on his shoulder. Then he rushed to catch up to the older wizards, before either could notice that he hadn’t been following. Arriving at an exit into the back alley behind the wand shop, Harry waited patiently as the two wizards said their goodbyes. His Grandpa Albus rolled his eyes when he hugged his friend goodbye and Harry was sure that Grandpa Gellert was still giving his fae mate a hard time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grinned and shook hands with Mr. Ollivander, but moved quickly to apparate with the Headmaster. When the man reached for him to side apparate, Harry ensured him that it was unnecessary. The truth was that he’d apparated to Nurmengard plenty of times, if the band wasn’t coming with him, and he knew that it would help the older wizard save energy. There was no way he’d ever convince the man not to follow him, to make sure he arrived safely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both arrived back outside the Austrian castle with loud cracks. Albus rushed the teen away from the small lake that existed in Nurmengard’s shadow and back through the gate, emblazoned with Gellert’s call to arms, wanting him back under the protection of the fortress’ magical veil. He wasn’t surprised to see that Harry’s band had found their way outside, being restless teenagers, with Draco and Neville playing wizards’ chess at one of the outdoor tables, and the twins working on a project in a hammock.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry didn’t resist going back into the veil, knowing that they’d all been added to the warding. They could get out as easily as they could get in, his Grandpa Gellert never caring if the lot came or went as they pleased, having no need to keep tabs on them. His plot was necessary to save lives, so the band leader hoped this wouldn’t destroy that trust. It wasn’t what he meant to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, you boys stay inside the veil,” Albus instructed, giving Harry a tight hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know,” Harry assured him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As a matter of fact, maybe you should all go inside,” The Headmaster started to insist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” Draco demanded curiously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got a vision of where Voldie is going to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the band got excited, demanding details as they abandoned their previous activities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter,” Albus dismissed them, “You are all staying here. Do you understand me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry waved the Chief Warlock’s concerns off, “Relax, Grandpa. We sneak into Nurmengard, not out of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Huffing at the teen’s devious grin, Albus gave him another hug, before ruffling his hair, “That’s a good lad. I’ll be back later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all watched from their huddle as he moved quickly back out the gate, past the veil, and toward the lake. Each waited for the tell tale popping sound to confirm that he was indeed gone to the Ministry. The other four boys that made up the second generation of Marauders, watched as Harry wandered over to the only bush of red roses in the garden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then again,” Harry said, reaching into the thorn-covered bush to the lever he’d seen his Grandpa Graves use in his vision. Pulling it with a grin that the band returned as the Turul statue rose to reveal the escape tunnel, he concluded, “There is a first time for everything.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Communication</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hogsmeade was a ghost town when she made her way through the streets of the quaint little village. Other teachers couldn't wait for summer vacation, but Minerva always dreaded it. Students kept things lively and interesting, while times without them always felt like an impromptu rut.</p><p> </p><p>They might not always think everything through. There was no but, that was just the truth of it. Minerva still firmly believed that they were a wonderful source of joviality and youth, even after all these years.</p><p> </p><p>And Hogsmeade was kept running by the school's patronage on weekend visits. It was built to entertain young magicians, up and coming witches and wizards of every degree. Summer vacation was a slump for the town as well.</p><p> </p><p>Wasn't anything to be done about it for another month, however, and Minerva was on a very important mission. Abby had to know, painful as it would be. So, she made with haste for the gate leading to the Hog's Head Inn.</p><p> </p><p>Something made her stop, the witch couldn't say what, when she touched the gate. Looking back up the street showed nothing of interest, just locals going about their day paying her no mind. The other direction, toward the residential section, held nothing of interest either, not at first.</p><p> </p><p>Then a particular open gate caught her attention. That certainly hadn't been meddled with in a while.</p><p> </p><p>Wandering over the professor wasn't surprised by the pool of nostalgia in her gut when she passed by the cast iron gate. The proud personal sigil of an augurey with three ravens flying around it was still set in the open fencing, as well as the dent where Sirius first ran his motorbike into the panel next to the opening, even after so many years. Finding the front door of Hogsmeade's largest brick home open didn't shock her either.</p><p> </p><p>"Abby?!"</p><p> </p><p>"In here, Min!"</p><p> </p><p>There was a distinct difference in the entryway and the staircase leading up, once she got fully inside. All the photos along the wall, from the Black children being born, to the lot graduating, had been cleaned and polished. While the rest of the house was still dust covered from disuse.</p><p> </p><p>The parlour had been cleaned as well, when she entered to see the younger Dumbledore brother flipping through a scrapbook. She recognized the white book, embellished with a golden deathly hallows symbol and phoenix outline, as James and Lily's wedding album. This was bound to be a long conversation.</p><p> </p><p>"Taking a trip down memory lane?"</p><p> </p><p>"Percy didn't even try to avoid him at the weddings," Aberforth huffed, "Albus dodged Lily like the plague, but Perce just hung by James and Sirius, drinking and watching Old Red sweat."</p><p> </p><p>She rolled her eyes, "Why didn't Mr. Hard Charger just put his foot down? Could have saved us a lot of trouble."</p><p> </p><p>"He'd never abide a mate that didn't want to be around him. Percy knew what we'd lost. He's never… He knows who he married."</p><p> </p><p>"He must, to be in the position he's in… And to stay married to him."</p><p> </p><p>Abby snorted, "After the duel in '45… Percy thought Albus would talk to him. I did too."</p><p> </p><p>"What happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"You know, I'm not sure," He admitted, "Albus told me that he was going to do it before I left, but when I saw him next, it was Avoidance Street all over again."</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm," She was struck by another thought, "What do you mean 'weddings'? There was only the one?"</p><p> </p><p>A chuckle was the only response at first, then with a swipe of his hand the book transformed before their eyes. The cover turned black, but it was far from dour. Stitched into it were plenty of stars, a full moon, and a delicate line separating what would have been the sky from the ground. </p><p> </p><p>On the lower section were stitched three deer. Two were grazing, one with long fangs, and the other a gentle doe. Standing watch over them was an alert stag. It was a lovely tribute.</p><p> </p><p>"This is the original," Abby huffed, passing it over, "James brought it home like it might buy them out of the doghouse for eloping."</p><p> </p><p>Minerva flipped through the pictures. Severus and James in their wizard's robes, looking handsome and jovial. Lily in a small white day dress; nothing extremely detailed like her wedding dress during the formal affair with James, of course, but she'd still looked lovely. There were even small photos of Percival Graves tying both boys bow ties.</p><p> </p><p>"He knew?"</p><p> </p><p>"Helped James arrange it," He snorted, "When I first found out, before he or Albus told me the truth about Eileen, I showed up at his office and cursed him out publicly."</p><p> </p><p>"You didn't?"</p><p> </p><p>"In the middle of Macusa on that Monday," The memory pulled a chuckle from him, "And he just took it. Hard Charger or not, Percy never… He assumed all responsibility."</p><p> </p><p>He looked around the room, somber and reliving a life full of memories with his husband, sons, and later his daughter in this house, "Stormed back here and Albus caught wind of the incident. He came by, told me about how he was being blocked in his investigation, because Tobias Snape was a muggle… Orion always asked how my first apology tasted."</p><p> </p><p>Minerva couldn't help it, she giggled.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, yes, it was very funny," Aberforth rolled his eyes, "I miss that old codger. He never let me mope about."</p><p> </p><p>"Abby… I… Well, no. We discovered that… What happened to Orion and Reggie... It got uncovered."</p><p> </p><p>He sat back, turning to stare out the window for a long time. It was a rare sunny day in Scotland, not at all reflecting the conversation they were suddenly having, but the local kids were out playing in the streets, bored though they were. They didn't know what to do without Hogwarts students to follow around, like the older kids were the second coming of Merlin. </p><p> </p><p>Abby watched for a moment, before finally looking back to his friend, "Well, no reason to drag it out any longer. What happened?"</p><p> </p><p>"Reggie… Sometime after for forced initiation, he got hold of one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes. We suspect he was on the run and…"</p><p> </p><p>"And ran home to Orion."</p><p> </p><p>They sat in silence for the longest time. Minerva reached over and held his hand, because she didn't know what else to do. It felt as if she'd just poured salt on an open wound.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually he reached for the wedding album and transfigured it back to the large wedding for James and Lily. He flipped to a picture of the lot. Severus had only dropped by the party briefly, but his daughter had threatened lives if she didn't get a picture.</p><p> </p><p>James and Severus were standing at her shoulders, with Lily in the center. Reggie was right beside her, in front of Severus, and the Longbottoms were beside of Sev. Cissy was on her other side and Remus was behind her, with Sirius, next to James. Then Molly and Arthur were fanned out next to the Marauders. And the rest of the Order had crowded around the younger lot.</p><p> </p><p>It had been the one moment of weakness Albus had, as he hadn't been able to tell Lily no. They were the only ones tall enough to stand behind the kids, so Aberforth and Orion had taken the middle, behind Lily and her mates. Then, Albus had taken the spot next to Abby and Percy had been standing next to Ori. Even Gellert had been tucked into his husband's side, having received a special visitation permit.</p><p> </p><p>Aberforth always thought it outrageous that he handled the Flaring Fiend better then his big brother did Percy!</p><p> </p><p>He'd never forget Lily spinning after the picture was taken, to see that Albus had already made a break for it. She'd threatened him with curses under her breath for ten minutes. Percy had only laughed.</p><p> </p><p>"Let it go, Little Copper," Was all the vampire had said, "No reason to get stains on your wedding dress, kid."</p><p> </p><p>He'd always called her Little Copper. Abby never knew why. But, his friend had taken to it when they met, the first Yule that James brought Lily home, and the nickname stuck.</p><p> </p><p>"I suppose I'm glad that I know."</p><p> </p><p>"I'm so sorry, Abby."</p><p> </p><p>"It's a war. No one is exempt," He pulled the picture out and summoned a few pins from upstairs, transfiguring them into gold picture frames, "I've been looking for something to give the boys for their birthdays, Draco's belatedly."</p><p> </p><p>Minerva hadn't been able to see what he was looking at and she quickly took the first framed picture, "Oh, they'll love this… My, my, what I'd give to still have that figure."</p><p> </p><p>She was in the edges nearest the Marauders, with Moody and Amelia.</p><p> </p><p>Abby snorted, where he was putting the other pictures in place, "You've still got it, Kitten! Don't let anyone tell you different!"</p><p> </p><p>She rolled her eyes at him. It shouldn't surprise her that deaging had no effect on the barman's flirting, "Says the fae looking forty."</p><p> </p><p>"Does it bother you?" He asked, genuine as ever, but without looking up, "Because I will pop my arse right back up by a few decades."</p><p> </p><p>Minerva just hummed noncommittally.</p><p> </p><p>"Or, we could always have Severus brew you some Illusia de Fae."</p><p> </p><p>"It takes two faes to make that potion work," Minerva reminded him. </p><p> </p><p>The potion that could deaged any consumer to the age of the two faes that offered blood to it was a popular knockoff for people who wanted to stay youthful. It was highly regulated for improper or forced use, however. One idiot like Lord Voldemort was all it took, though it wasn't true immortality.</p><p> </p><p>"You think Albus would deny you?" Abby snorted, "Or we could always still marry. Deaging can work across marriage bonds."</p><p> </p><p>That got her to perk up. It was far from the first time he'd made the joke, but normally she let it go because they were in the bar and drinking. After her conversation with Albus, the professor was curious, "You would still marry me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Of course, we always told you it was an open invitation," He still wasn't looking up from his struggle to get the pictures centered.</p><p> </p><p>Wanting his attention, Minerva righted the project with a flick of her wand, "Do you know why I always said no?"</p><p> </p><p>Realizing they had somehow fallen back into a serious conversation, Abby sat back, settling his blue gaze on her, "Of course. You didn't want children and thought that was all we were after."</p><p> </p><p>Something about him already knowing set Minerva on edge in a way that having to explain it to him herself would not have. The use of the plural identification signalled her that this wasn't a recent revelation by any means. Both Orion and Aberforth had known, probably for a very long time.</p><p> </p><p>"It made sense, Min," The younger Dumbledore brother admitted, "I mean, that's what everyone in our generation thought the purpose of witches was. It wasn't right, but… We always understood your reasoning."</p><p> </p><p>He looked at one of the pictures on the wall. When the woman followed his gaze, she realized that it was a picture of her and Lily at the girl's graduation. She'd been so ready to take on the world with her mates.</p><p> </p><p>"I always thought, one day I'll have Min talk her into being an heiress. After you inherited the McGonagall seat when your aunt died…"</p><p> </p><p>"She was formidable. I couldn't wait to be just like her when I grew up and she didn't need children of her own."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, Kitten, you've got a school full of kids, who would all declare you successful."</p><p> </p><p>She flushed at that, "My father always felt so bad for his spinster sister, as if my mother, a muggle, didn't run our house with an iron first, while he hit the bottle. She and Auntie were always the better examples."</p><p> </p><p>"Ori and I… We wanted to tell you we agreed, but it always felt like a pie crust promise. Eventually, we just decided to respect your wishes."</p><p> </p><p>"You're the only two I ever would have married."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, the invitation is always open, if you ever want to."</p><p> </p><p>"Even without Ori?"</p><p> </p><p>"Ehh, if I ever let the chance to marry you pass me by," He shrugged, "He'd come back just to kick my arse."</p><p> </p><p>They chatted for a few more hours, flipping through pictures. Aberforrh acknowledged that he'd only come by the house to clean it for Sirius and Narcissa, wanting them to have somewhere to go that was nearby. So, they wound up doing that for a while as well.</p><p> </p><p>It didn't take long as everything had preservation charms, unlike Grimmauld Place. The younger Dumbledore made a mental note to go by there with Albus; they'd need to know if Bellatrix had caused any damage to the place, though it didn't sound like it from the patronus that he'd gotten from Percy the previous night.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, their home in Hogsmeade wasn't warded out the wazoo either. They fixed that with some basic work. Anything else Sirius thought necessary, especially after the night they'd had, then the boy could add once the Ministry gave him full power as Lord Black. Which should be anytime, given that Percy had sent another message when his son went into closed negotiations with Alastor Moody.</p><p> </p><p>They were just locking the house up, when a raven with a black and white eye each, came tearing up to them squawking like mad. Minerva jumped, thinking the creature mad. Aberforth went to cursing.</p><p> </p><p>"That can't be bloody good!"</p><p> </p><p>"What?"</p><p> </p><p>"That's Gellert, it's a seer thing. It's gotta be Harry," Abby disclosed, "Come on, I've got a direct connection to Nurmengard from my loft."</p><p> </p><p>The raven's eyes changed to a normal animal and it took off, now that the seer knew he had their attention.</p><p> </p><p>"Huh."</p><p> </p><p>He glanced back at the grunt, raising a brow at the witch's surprised face, where she was following him into the bar at a run, "What?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I can't believe you have a direct connection to Nurmengard, for one," She acknowledged, "But, mostly, I just don't think I've ever heard you say his name before."</p><p> </p><p>Aberforth rolled his eyes as he opened up the floo, "Don't say that in front of him. That head doesn't need to get any bigger."</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>As soon as they landed in the Ministry, Moody was there to collect Sirius for reparation negotiations. Percy sent a quick patronus to his best friend, so the Dumbledore would know where they were, and that everything was under control. It wasn't all fun and games, of course.</p><p> </p><p>Shielding immediately after that, since he was also here to offer aid officially, Percy set off for the Auror Office. He knew that Special Operations was somehow connected to the department, but remembering how to get there was beyond him. Usually if the Director wanted Theseus for anything, he just firecalled the brat.</p><p> </p><p>When looking around for anyone he knew, Percy realized just how long it had been since he'd been in Europe. Now that Alastor was with Sirius, he didn't recognize anyone at first. It took him a moment to spot Remus' wife, with her bright pink hair, and a dark skinned man leaning over a desk on the far corner.</p><p> </p><p>Percy might not have recognized anyone, but they knew who he was. Several aurors fake fainted in relief and several more high fived. Clearly the crisis had them stretched to the max.</p><p> </p><p>"Auror Tonks," He called for her attention once he was closer.</p><p> </p><p>"Director Graves!"</p><p> </p><p>They hadn't officially been introduced the night before, too much had been happening, but he'd gotten a good beat on her personality from her patronus. Knowing she was married to one of his nephews, the vampire didn't think twice about pulling her into a hug. Though she resisted for a second, just surprised, the witch and metamorphmagus returned it before anyone would have noticed.</p><p> </p><p>"Just dropped Sirius off for negotiations."</p><p> </p><p>"Remy will love to know that," She admitted, before gesturing to her coworker, "I'm not sure if you know Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt."</p><p> </p><p>"I've never had the pleasure," He turned to shake the man's hand with a grin, "Though Jimmy and Sirius had plenty of stories from their tenure here."</p><p> </p><p>"All of them are true," He owned in a deep baritone, "I don't know who called in the Americans, but they have my gratitude."</p><p> </p><p>"No official call, I'm just here to offer aid," He confessed, "But, Moody is in closed negotiations and I have no idea how to find the Lord Commander."</p><p> </p><p>Half the damn department jumped up. A quarter were offering to find Theseus and a quarter were offering to show Percy the other man's office. It took a sharp whistle from Remy's wife to quiet them down.</p><p> </p><p>"Enough!" She insisted, "I will take him!"</p><p> </p><p>He followed her with a chuckle, not looking back for fear he'd bust out laughing, "Enthusiastic bunch they are."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, the second coming shows up and everyone wants to touch his robes," She glanced over her shoulder, appraising him, "Or trenchcoat, as the case may be."</p><p> </p><p>If the vampire could have flushed he would have. Everyone knew he'd worn the same black overcoat since the twenties. It was probably more of an identifying marker then his face, in terms of recognition.</p><p> </p><p>Once they got onto the hallway, Percy realized where he was. He was far more used to leaving Theseus' office, then he was having to get there. Knocking, he gave Tonks a wave of gratitude and promised that Tina would be there soon with a team to help manage the load.</p><p> </p><p>Bureaucracy was a beast and he couldn't just have her show up without approval. Still, a quick conversation with Theseus would do the trick, with Moody indisposed and the Minister in disgrace. They'd get this sorted.</p><p> </p><p>"Come in!"</p><p> </p><p>More snappy then it should be the morning after his mating dream, but such was to be expected. The man had a dead muggle family, a Dark Lord on the run, defecting dementors, compromised and dilapidated prisons, and an innocent Head Auror who had spent over a decade in Azkaban. This was the day from hell.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh thank the fucking gods!" Theseus declared, rushing around the desk to hug him, as soon as the younger wizard realized who was coming in.</p><p> </p><p>Percy squeezed him tight, before backing away just enough to meet his eyes, "Give Tina permission to bring in a team of twenty? Take control of any in the Auror department not currently on assignment, just until Moody gets out of negotiations with Sirius?"</p><p> </p><p>"Done."</p><p> </p><p>He tapped him on the cheek and pulled out of their embrace to go over to the floo. Contacting his work wife with the instructions was a quick affair, though she demanded what took him so long. She already had a portkey set up and a team ready to go.</p><p> </p><p>Once the Director threatened to retire and leave her with the mess, as was tradition, he ended the firecall. By the time he turned around, Theseus was already leaning back over another report, and that simply wouldn't do. Percy waved his hand and sent the paperwork on the desk flying over to the filing cabinet across the room.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey! Perce, come on, the work just keeps piling up!"</p><p> </p><p>"Hence us Americans being called in to help," He dismissed, grabbing a cigar from the box on Theseus' shelf. The rule was that if he'd bought it for the boy, then the vampire got to help himself, "So, you gonna tell me what happened?"</p><p> </p><p>Theseus blushed red as the Gryffindor he was, "There is nothing to tell. Harry's my mate, but nothing happened! I swear!"</p><p> </p><p>Percy set him with the most even look one possibly could, "This entire train wreck was let loose, because my grandson got sick and tired of letting our bitch asses run things into the ground…"</p><p> </p><p>Theseus snorted. He knew about Pettigrew and Newt told him the most fascinating story about horcruxes the previous night. There was no doubt about what his little mate was capable of.</p><p> </p><p>"He may be fifteen, but that boy does what he wants," Percy admitted, "I suggest you get with the program before you're replaced."</p><p> </p><p>"You know, he threatened me with the same shit."</p><p> </p><p>"Got that dragon blood in him. If you're not satisfying them, someone else is."</p><p> </p><p>"...?"</p><p> </p><p>"What, Theseus?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nothing."</p><p> </p><p>"Boy, if you're going to lie to me, you best put some real effort in."</p><p> </p><p>Theseus grinned, even as he was scolded, "I just wondered," He admitted as he took out a cigar for himself, "How that worked while you two were separated."</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, it's not a perfect metaphor," The Director huffed, blowing a smoke ring at the other wizard's face, "Although it was the only point in G's life post-puberty that he went without, and only because he had no other options."</p><p> </p><p>"He and Rosier never…"</p><p> </p><p>Percy choked as he went to laugh and inhale at the same time, "Please, my husband is so gay… For a man that insists we're all inherently bisexual, his bitch ass has never proved it, ever. Anyone who tells you different is selling something."</p><p> </p><p>Theseus just rolled his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"So, you going to tell me more?"</p><p> </p><p>"Percy!"</p><p> </p><p>"What? I've heard you languish about having that fucking dream for damn decades! I'm invested by this point, sue me!"</p><p> </p><p>The younger of the two sighed, "We just talked. About the note, and the Dursleys, and our pets."</p><p> </p><p>There was a shrill shriek from the corner of the room. Percy grinned at the rainbow colored Tocha Kachina on her perch of white gold, "You tell him, Litonya!"</p><p> </p><p>"Alright, Harry doesn't have a familiar. You're going to have to cooperate."</p><p> </p><p>"Actually…"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh gods, what now?"</p><p> </p><p>"Well, your brother came by this morning…"</p><p> </p><p>"Everytime those words are spoken, a decade is taken off my life. You know this!"</p><p> </p><p>"Turns out that Harry's owl, Hedwig, isn't really an owl. She's the Snow Phoenix."</p><p> </p><p>"You've gotta be fucking kidding me?"</p><p> </p><p>"Nope, Hagrid hid her using some trinket of Newt's. Harry didn't even know."</p><p> </p><p>"Okay then…"</p><p> </p><p>Percy let him absorb the moment, though he caught how his eyes kept darting to Litonya. Finally he couldn't resist, "And what did Harry tell you about the Dursleys?"</p><p> </p><p>"Not much, but he wasn't wearing a shirt."</p><p> </p><p>"Some things are worth more than words."</p><p> </p><p>"Like I told him, their deaths weren't gruesome enough."</p><p> </p><p>"I agree," The vampire hissed, "How is that investigation going?"</p><p> </p><p>Theseus sighed, taking his cigar and moving over toward the evidence table that he kept in his office. He'd had to duplicate it into three tables, with one looking into the botched investigation that landed Sirius in prison, another looking into the Dursleys murder, and the last attempting to track Lord Voldemort. He couldn't remember a time when three cases of such magnitude were on his desk.</p><p> </p><p>Percy followed him over and he gave the Hard Charger a moment to take the middle table in. Most of the evidence was just photos and routine evidence from a Death Eater kill site. Finally, he pulled the one piece he couldn't get to fit.</p><p> </p><p>The Director looked at the bagged set of rings.</p><p> </p><p>"They seem too expensive to be afforded by the muggles, though maybe they were family heirlooms, or they save for a long time for them," Theseus proposed, "If that's the case, then maybe traces were put on the wife while she was out?"</p><p> </p><p>"Who found these?"</p><p> </p><p>"I did," Theseus shrugged, "We kept getting strong magical readings on the house and I finally found them in the entryway… Perce?"</p><p> </p><p>"Blackout your office."</p><p> </p><p>The Lord Commander did as he was told, but he was confused. The Director of Magical Security had just taken the rings out of the bag and cast a spell related to protego diabolica into his office fireplace. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was going on.</p><p> </p><p>Before he could even think to ask, Percy threw the bag and rings into the black flames. Even the diamonds melted down in seconds when exposed to the magical fire. Theseus gasped and demanded to know what he was doing.</p><p> </p><p>The older man didn't even turn to look at him when he answered, just staring into the flames, "This is my last war, Theseus. I'm retiring. My godson just spent twelve years in Azkaban, and my grandson was left with monsters who treated him like a piece of meat."</p><p> </p><p>Vampires had a dark and fearsome reputation, but Percival Graves had always been seen as an exception to the rule. He was a champion of the light. But, not here.</p><p> </p><p>Theseus hadn't seen him like this before. If this man, angry at the system and getting out before he burned it down himself, had been married to the Liberator in the twenties? That war would have ended differently.</p><p> </p><p>"My grandson dropped these rings at the Dursleys and I don't blame him," Percy growled, "He's given more than enough for the greater good. He's made the choice between what was easy and right, at the expense of himself, more than enough. I'll happily protect him from this. Will you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, of course," Theseus didn't hesitate, then he scoffed, "I told him last night that I wanted to retire for my next great adventure."</p><p> </p><p>Percy stood with an eye roll, ending the spell and setting the Lord Commander with a look, "I know what your next great adventure was supposed to be. That will be waiting a couple of years, capice?"</p><p> </p><p>"I want to agree with you, really I do, but I don't run this outfit. I suggest you talk to the teen."</p><p> </p><p>The excessive warding on the office gave way, even as Percy cuffed his prodigy on the back of the head. He knew that if Harry wound up pregnant before he graduated, Gellert would have a heart attack. It wasn't that the previous Dark Lord had some big marriage qualm, but Bathilda would be a beast to live with, if they let that happen.</p><p> </p><p>She was no walk in the park on regular days.</p><p> </p><p>Percy inquired about getting Gellert a limited release permit. Theseus had been offering it for years, but with the missing piece of the Dursleys case gone that case was closed, and signing a permit that he'd had in his desk for over a decade was simple enough. Then they both left to go and check on Tina and the aurors.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Sirius and Mad-Eye finished their negotiations, and emerged from the private room. Even Percy whistled when he read the agreement the Ministry of Magic had been forced to swallow by his godson, including the boy's return to the Head Auror position. The British government was going to be firmly attached to Lord Black's ass for the next decade.</p><p> </p><p>He hadn't been jesting with Theseus. Something about seeing the crime scene photos at the Dursleys had given him a violent shove into agreeing with his husband. Their deaths had been both too quick and not been gruesome enough.</p><p> </p><p>Harry knew nothing about the darker side of his family, the things that they protected one another from in the past, but he might have made different choices, if he had. Percy would not have been as merciful as the life sucking loons that followed Lord Voldemort. Nor would his husband. </p><p> </p><p>The Director was still penning his resignation letter mentally, while speculating on if their fae mate would have participated in a reckoning on the Dursleys, when the Headmaster showed up. Harry wasn't with him, so Percy assumed that they got the wand without issue. He called out for the man, waving him over to the huddle he'd formed with Theseus, his nephew, Alastor, and Tina.</p><p> </p><p>"Albus!"</p><p> </p><p>The fae scurried over, glad that he hadn't had to search for very long to find his people, "He had a vision. We know where the Dark Lord is going to be around dinner."</p><p> </p><p>"Ladies and gentlemen, select your teams," Percy instructed, "I want this over with today."</p><p> </p><p>The next hour passed in a flurry of activity. The Director got the story of what happened at Ollivander's from his mate, as well as the assurance that the kids were tucked back in at Nurmengard, before sending their plan to his Chief and Captain, who were running things in the States. He and Tina pulled their two best, then Percy talked the Headmaster into coming with his team as a specialist.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone would feel better if the Liberator's defeater was on the scene, in addition to the Hard Charger. Albus was the Elder Wand Conqueror, after all. They needed enough credible people on their side to keep from having to confess that their source was a fifteen year old seer, if at all possible.</p><p> </p><p>Of course, his husband couldn't just have the vision. No one would have even blinked at him getting a tip from the siren, he'd been doing it for years and getting results. Their grandson just had to involve himself while still a minor.</p><p> </p><p>"That kid is going to take this place over by the time he's seventeen."</p><p> </p><p>"As long as he does it through this office and not politics, I'm happy."</p><p> </p><p>"You're a politician, Copper Top."</p><p> </p><p>"I most certainly am not!" He gasped utterly affronted by the accusation, where they were waiting in Theseus' office for the younger Gryffindor to get a joint task force approved to move onto French soil, "Unlike your husband, I work for a living! Anything else is public service."</p><p> </p><p>The vampire couldn't help it, he busted out laughing. Tina was out with the other aurors and they were alone for the first time. Excitement was already lighting every fiber of his being, so Percy could hardly blame himself when the temptation was too much.</p><p> </p><p>He closed the distance between them and palmed Albus' cheek, planting a kiss on him before either of them could overthink it. It was soft and sweet, like their first kiss in their mating dream, but neither were quite prepared for the other's magic to still taste exactly the same. What started gentle soon turned into something desperate.</p><p> </p><p>When Percy finally pulled away, it was to put little more than their breath back between them. Somehow they had wound up with him backing Albus against Theseus’ desk, the fae’s hands tangled in the collar of his overcoat, pulling him in closer. Twinkling blue eyes met his lavender, blown wide to the point they were almost black, except for the smallest of rims.</p><p> </p><p>Unlike Gellert, the Headmaster was only shorter than him by a couple of inches, “I think this is the first time we’ve been alone since your mating dream.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus nodded, but that seemed all he could manage for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“God damn it all, Copper Top, why didn’t you just contact me? When you lost your mother? When you lost your sister?” He paused for a moment, seeming lost. It wasn't something the fae would have associated with Percival Graves, "Hell, given what had happened on your birthday, maybe when the Fiend showed up, it should have warranted a check in."</p><p> </p><p>“I… I thought I could handle everything. I still had six months before I was supposed to meet you in the States," The Headmaster sighed, "By the time Gellert showed up, I think I was already desperate."</p><p> </p><p>“Albus…”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, I was an idiot. I’m so sorry, Percy.”</p><p> </p><p>“I came back to Europe. The week after your dream.”</p><p> </p><p>That startled some sense back into Albus. He’d never known Percival Graves came back, not until James was born. He and Gellert had Flea in the States and were happily married there, until Flea went to school, and the Liberator started his political movement in Europe, when his husband wouldn’t support his platform there. The only time the Hard Charger was known to come back, he'd been a prisoner.</p><p> </p><p>"Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“I went to have a conversation with your father.”</p><p> </p><p>All Albus could manage was to stare at him for a long few moments. When his brain got over being dumbstruck, all he could imagine was Percvial Graves facing off with his drunk, homophobic, moron of a father. The powerhouse noted by most gossip columns of the previous century's nineties to have taken the virginity of every young unmated wizard in New York City, but who managed to be the Director of Security for Macusa as a vampire, staring down the useless wizard that Albus hadn’t wasted guilt or grief on in the century past, despite all of the mistakes he had mourned.</p><p> </p><p>“How did that go?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm… I was right during your mating dream,” Percy told him, cupping his cheek and placing another chaste kiss on his lips, “You deserved better.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus toes fucking curled, as the older wizard wandered off to the window seat in Theseus’ office and settled there. All he could do was watch. He would have had this, if he’d just taken a chance and trusted Percy. </p><p> </p><p>He and Abby had been a wreck though. Desperate and having no idea what to do with themselves, or their baby sister. They hadn’t been able to trust anyone, not with Ariana.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you think I would have let them lock her away?”</p><p> </p><p>The growl surprised him and Albus realized that he’d stopped shielding. They both had, from one another. He sighed, wandering over to the window, “I was seventeen. My father had been a fool, and then we lost Mother too, in such a short time.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy pulled him down to sit on his thigh, “You were just about to start your seventh year, when you got your mating dreams.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gellert was such an aggressive little shit,” Albus sighed, his head going into hide in his mate’s neck, “And then Percival fucking Graves was my other mate. I almost had a heart attack.”</p><p> </p><p>The vampire chuckled, “You were so scared. I just knew you’d met Gellert first… He’d turned fifteen several months before in April.”</p><p> </p><p>“Fucking Aries.”</p><p> </p><p>“Says the Leo who took our grandson down with him.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus snorted, sitting up, “What are you?”</p><p> </p><p>“My twin sister, Isolt, and I were born New Year's day of 1900.”</p><p> </p><p>“Capricorn… That explains so much.”</p><p> </p><p>A hand brushed over his whiskers, demanding that the Headmaster meet his mate’s eyes once more, “Albus, I never would have let anyone take your sister from you. My job has never meant more to me, then you and Gellert. If you call, I’m going to come running.”</p><p> </p><p>“I wish you’d been there.”</p><p> </p><p>It was a blanket statement, but they both knew he meant it as such. Percy was still curious about one of their interactions though, “You acknowledged me, after the duel. When Alastor was interviewing you. Why didn’t you come over when it ended?”</p><p> </p><p>“Abby and Flea got there.”</p><p> </p><p>“Like your brother gives a damn what we do,” Percy snorted, “And Flea treated you like a third parent.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly Albus shot away from him, pacing across the room. Tension had risen in his shoulders and he didn’t seem to be breathing as he wrung his hands. All the vampire could do was watch.</p><p> </p><p>“Not at first he didn’t.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“When Flea first came to Hogwarts, he looked at me like I was every evil stepmother cliche come to life,” Albus huffed, blue eyes darting back to Percy as he paced, though he could grin about the boy’s childish fear when he’d been eleven, all these years later, “He thought… All he knew was that his papa and I had a… long and arduous history, but the three of us were mates. It took a whole term before he believed that I had no intention of trodding all over your marriage.”</p><p> </p><p>Percy had never known that. By the time his son had come home that Christmas, he’d been unable to shut up about Albus Dumbledore. It had been irritating to the Director back then, as he’d been ignored by the fae for over a decade by that point. Of course, even he hadn’t been able to stay pissy for long. The professor had been irresistible, even in his son’s stories.</p><p> </p><p>“Abby asked me if I was finally going to get off my arse and talk to you. I said yes, staring over like an enraptured fawn, and he laughed at me before wandering off… But, when I turned and Flea was there, looking at me like he had at eleven…”</p><p> </p><p>The vampire sighed, sitting back against the window. That would have been the day after Gellert and he separated. Flea was supposed to stay in Macusa with Tina, when he went to the site of his husband’s arrest, but it would have been a lie to say he’d been surprised when he turned to see the boy hugging Albus. Never had it occurred to him that he should have asked what happened between the pair.</p><p> </p><p>“I couldn’t, not after he asked me not to. He was like a son to me too, and…”</p><p> </p><p>“I understand, Albus,” Percy would like to think that he’d have made good choices, but… The taste of lemons and… something like spring, or happiness, or something similar, was still dancing across his lips. Temptation would have more than likely won the day from him in ‘45.</p><p> </p><p>He had been mad at Gellert, once he had his freedom back. Rage was a vampire's constant companion. Or so he'd been told a couple hundred times. </p><p> </p><p>If Percy were being honest, he'd probably say that his only son called that spade a spade, from a hundred yards off. The chance to start something up with Albus, when Gellert couldn't be there, would have been too tempting. He'd been pissed off and would not have missed that opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>"Me neither," The fae agreed with a vicious little grin, but then he returned to their previous vein, sombered, “You were separated for so long, and then there was James’ graduation, and the wedding, and then the Dragon Pox outbreak… I never could get a moment alone to talk to you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your daughter was quite insistent on that front.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus just huffed, letting himself be pulled back to his mate’s lap, “Got that from fucking Abby. Stubborn as a damn mule, those two.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, we’ve got a task force of ten French aurors, five from the UK, and your team of four, plus…” Theseus paused when he looked up from his file and didn’t spot them. Tina, Alastor, and Sirius were trailing in behind him, and it took the quartet a moment to turn and see them in the window. Scamander rolled his eyes, “I’m thrilled you two are speaking, but please, not in my office!”</p><p> </p><p>Albus went as red as his hair and shot up, “Sorry!”</p><p> </p><p>“Speak for yourself,” Percy muttered, “Better us, then him defiling it with Harry, before he retires.”</p><p> </p><p>“Gods have mercy, Percival, I am not going to…”</p><p> </p><p>“Damn straight you’re not,” Sirius growled at the Lord Commander, “I’ll earn that spot in Azkaban. He is fifteen!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’ll stop him,” The Director dismissed with a snort, rising to grab himself another cigar.</p><p> </p><p>“Can we please get back to this ambush?” Albus demanded, wandering over to Theseus, “And away from talk of my grandson and his mate?”</p><p> </p><p>“First time the conversation hasn’t been about him in four years,” Theseus muttered.</p><p> </p><p>His mentor smacked him upside the head and the conversation quickly turned to their plans. Fifty percent of the task force was French aurors, while a thirty percent were from the United Kingdom, and twenty were Americans. Percy and Albus were going to pair off together to hide within sight of the front gate, while Tina and the other Americans were taking the other side of the entryway. The home team of France were going to lay in wait within the Parisian townhouse, while the Ministry of Magic’s aurors were taking the back of the property.</p><p> </p><p>After a quick stop to grab food from the French Ministry’s cafeteria, the task force set out. They didn’t know an exact time of arrival, so it was the waiting game. Albus wasn’t thrilled with the idea of spending hours stuck behind a small grove of trees and shrubbery, but he had to admit that Percy seemed perfectly at ease in the stakeout. His overcoat had been abandoned in the office of France’s Captain of the Aurors and the suit he was currently in was not helping the fae stay on task.</p><p> </p><p>No one should be allowed to look that attractive at work. It was ridiculous. The short suit jacket did nothing to hide the face that Percy could probably bench press him with one hand.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s rude to stare.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll just have to punish me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t tempt me, Copper Top,” The grin he gave Albus had the Headmaster wishing to the heavens above that they weren’t in the middle of a mission, “I have no qualms about putting you over my knee.”</p><p> </p><p>The Chief Warlock clenched his eyes shut and hissed, “I’m not going to make it through this, if you keep talking like that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry,” Percy went back to watching the gate with a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>A few minutes later, Albus finally asked, “Do you remember the first time you called me that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I should. It was the only chance I got before last night,” Percy huffed, eyes staying trained on the gate, “It was in your mating dream and you were still staring at me like I might bend you over right there.”</p><p> </p><p>“After Gellert… You had quite the reputation in New York, anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>The vampire laughed, “Yeah, well… That was greatly exaggerated. Reporters and politicians, rarely does one ever work for a living.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus hummend, “Relax, Copper Top, before you blow the wrong sort of fuse. I don’t play where I haven’t been invited.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, when I say it, it’s charming,” Percy insisted, rolling his eyes at the put on American accent, “I swear we must have talked for hours.”</p><p> </p><p>“You were not what I expected.”</p><p> </p><p>“I hate that you had expectations,” He sighed, “I had all but given up on a Valentine dream, by that age.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry that you had to wait so long.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why? You two were more than worth the wait,” Coming from Percy, who had an adorable grin on his face, it was a promise. When the vampire turned back to the gate, he changed instantly, turning into the feared Director of Security, “We’ve got movement.”</p><p> </p><p>Sure enough, when Albus moved to kneel behind some shrubbery next to Percy, Tom and Lucius were there. The Dark Lord was wearing some powerful glamours, making him look similar to his appearance in Hogwarts, though he’d aged himself up to match Lucius. They were approaching in street clothes and didn’t seem to have a care in the world.</p><p> </p><p>That is until they got to the gate. It seemed that with most of their inner circle cooling off in jail cells, Lucius was jumpy. Albus fought not to snicker.</p><p> </p><p>“My lord, Cissy knows this house is very public, I don’t think…”</p><p> </p><p>“That you are correct about, Lucius. You don’t think,” Tom hissed, “No one knows she is with us. Why would she make herself look to be on the run with a small child? I hope they both took after their mother.”</p><p> </p><p>Sirius was across the way with Tina and, from their spot in the treeline, the Headmaster spotted Percy’s second in command putting a hand over the boy’s mouth. The Marauder’s godfather grinned at the sight, knowing there would be commentary on just that, when all of this was over. Albus was sure that this was going to be a circus.</p><p> </p><p>The plan was to take the Dark Lord and his Death Eater before the men could enter the town house. Once the pair started up the long walk to the house, closing the gate, Percy’s section of the task force started to creep up from behind. It wasn’t until they reached the gate that the French team inside made themselves known.</p><p> </p><p>Head Auror Jock Fontue appeared in the doorway, demanding that the Dark Lord lay down his wand. That ended about as well as Percy expected. He was down in two seconds.</p><p> </p><p>A shield was thrown up, cutting off the rest of the French team, but Percival already had a barrier preventing their escape when Tom turned and saw them there. Albus knew that his mate was going to take the lead, but he wasn’t expecting what it did to him when the Director slammed his shield up, cutting off their bond. Not that he showed it.</p><p> </p><p>Albus and Sirius paired off against Lucius, while Tina and the other two American aurors backed up Percy. The Headmaster had never struggled to stay on task so much, as when magic started flying all around them. Curses of a deadly green were desperate to take out any of them that the two trapped men could, as the French and United Kingdom aurors joined forced to take the barriers down from behind.</p><p> </p><p>Lucius wasn’t difficult to take down and soon Albus was able to turn his attention to where Percy was dueling the Dark Lord.</p><p> </p><p>“Lord Potter, I wasn’t expecting you to grace us with your presence,” Tom hissed, “After all, you tend to stay your hand with stray political factions.”</p><p> </p><p>“The American people would disagree with you, Mr. Riddle,” Albus watched as the name made his previous student flinch, but Percy didn’t hesitate, “In terms of your magic dependent self, and the brat I call my husband.”</p><p> </p><p>That was the truth. The second Gellert had taken on a dangerous, self promoting platform, Percy had booted his arse out of the country. The Director had gone to Europe to see his husband, though he’d always disagreed with the man, but he’d always been loyal to the people he swore to protect. He’d never made a choice of one over the other, his job or husband.</p><p> </p><p>“I wonder what young Heir Potter would think of those times you haven’t stayed your hand, Director,” Tom sneered at the taller man, “After all, he took after his grandfather. Letting others do his dirty work.”</p><p> </p><p>“My grandson wasn’t fond of the Dursleys, but he wouldn’t condone what you did,” Percy lied evenly, “Though my husband sends his regards, as well as the comment that it was too quick.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we were so rudely interrupted by your protege, after all!”</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Riddle, lay down your wand,” Percy instructed, “Or, by all means, keep in mind that I have clearance to use lethal force.”</p><p> </p><p>It was the use of the title persistently that broke what little bit of sanity that Tom seemed to be holding onto. The two started to duel in earnest and Albus jumped in quickly. Even the fae knew that his mate was not looking to take his previous student alive.</p><p> </p><p>Theseus broke through the barrier, finally, but he knew joining in was overkill. He knew his mentor, probably better than Dumbledore did, at this point, and he knew that one offer had been all Riddle was going to get. Not after what they did in his office that morning.</p><p> </p><p>The Dark Lord knew about those rings, had put it together with their presence, and Percy would never allow what Harry did to become public knowledge. Not when he thought his grandson more than justified. As the half-blood wizard’s glamours faded away, his magic desperately trying to put all of his energy into battling the Hard Charger, the Lord Commander threw his lot in anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Soon, it was the three of them, the men who had been fathers to James and Lily Potter, and Harry’s mate, against his parents’ murderer. The use of lethal force would barely be a footnote in this story, as Tom Riddle, the wizard who gave the darkly inclined a bad name, was put down. Most credit would probably go to Percy, as the other two were mostly just containing the duel’s destruction, and that was fine by them. He was the champion for those of dark inclinations, be it by species or habit, anyway. </p><p> </p><p>The vampire shot off a final killing curse and in a flash of bright green it was over. Cheers went up from the task force, as was expected, and as it probably should be. This was an event the world would celebrate.</p><p> </p><p>The three of them were a little more pensive. Their thoughts somewhere with James and Lily, in two similar moments that were deeply mourned. Tina took control of the scene at catching their moods and the three gave her and Alastor their statements, before gathering beneath a willow to converse unless someone needed them.</p><p> </p><p>“He’ll be relieved it was you,” Theseus finally commented.</p><p> </p><p>“My letter of resignation is going in tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe wait a week?”</p><p> </p><p>“Absolutely not, I’m out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, but I am not telling Tina.”</p><p> </p><p>Albus busted in after a moment, “You are stealing her work husband, after all.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not exactly,” Percy corrected him, “I decided not to work for the Ministry. I’m just retiring.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh Mary, mother of… There will be no living with Gellert,” The Headmaster rolled his eyes, “I hope you're ready for one bloody obnoxious retirement party.”</p><p> </p><p>“There will be no party!” The Director insisted, “I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”</p><p> </p><p>A sense of joviality was finally starting to creep up on them, when a black and white eyed raven appeared out of nowhere, squawking its head off. Both the mates knew that was Gellert’s signal, for whenever they were shielding. They told Theseus as much, already speculating that there could only be one person who’d warrant such an emergency; Harry.</p><p> </p><p>They rushed over to Tina telling her what was happening. With their statements given, they were free to go; reports would be due the next day by five. They were rushing past the gate of the Malfoy townhouse, when the vampire of the trio hissed.</p><p> </p><p>Both Gryffindors turned to see what was wrong and found that he was flexing his left hand. The skin around his Potter lordship ring was red with heat. Percy set both with a look, grateful that he and Albus had just finished shielding from Gellert, to learn that the boys had snuck out, “He’s at the Weasley’s Burrow. Go!”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“We’re going to be publicly executed! Our deaths will not be with mercy!”</p><p> </p><p>Draco and Harry rolled their eyes at Neville’s worrying, each taking one of the torches that Fred and George were lighting. The Longbottom heir took the last of the lights to be ignited, even as he continued to languish anxiously. The rest of them figured that they were already in this deep.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s happening?” Draco demanded.</p><p> </p><p>“My Grandpa Percy is going to take Voldie,” Harry admitted, “But he sent a surprise ambush for Remus and Teddy, as revenge for yesterday. They’ll attack when he goes to visit the Burrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“How many?”</p><p> </p><p>“Can we stop them?”</p><p> </p><p>“Seven, but Iggy is on the way, and I have a plan,” Harry admitted, “I think we had them contained and no one had gotten hurt, but that’s…”</p><p> </p><p>“Only what you saw,” Fred finished for him.</p><p> </p><p>George still smiled at the Potter heir, though it was somber, “We know, bud.”</p><p> </p><p>“When we reach the end of the tunnel, we’ll have to apparate,” Harry warned them.</p><p> </p><p>“I think we’re all but to full charge,” Draco told him, “Shouldn’t be a problem.”</p><p> </p><p>“Until the resident Dark Lord realizes we're gone.”</p><p> </p><p>“Relax, Neville, we’re going to be able to stop them,” Harry dismissed, “It could take him hours to realize we snuck out.”</p><p> </p><p>The Longbottom heir sighed, but nodded, “Alright, for Remus and Teddy.”</p><p> </p><p>“If Remus won’t be there for hours…” George started.</p><p> </p><p>“We better hope so,” Fred finished.</p><p> </p><p>The other boys didn’t comment in response, as all were gaping as they emerged into a room filled with crystals and gems. They lined the walls in spectacular patterns of color and impressiveness, and they decorated a plain stone door that was the exit. Harry took it all in, quickly deducing that something had to be a lever.</p><p> </p><p>“Please tell me you saw the way out?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not a clue.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course not,” Draco cursed, placing his torch in one of the empty slots around the room, at his best friend's response. He looked around the room for anything that stood out, or might make a good lever.</p><p> </p><p>The others quickly moved to the other slots for torches around the room, so they could help find the way out. Harry was relieved that they had some time to waste. This was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.</p><p> </p><p>Or so he thought, until all five torch slots around the room were filled, and the stone door began to rise. All five looked at one another, cheered, and high-fived on the way out. Some things just worked out.</p><p> </p><p>Once they were outside of the cave Neville handed out all of the potions that he’d been able to smuggle into the gardens. He’d gotten ten vials of Harry’s new form of wolfsbane for them to use. Harry explained where each of them would be hiding on the Weasley’s property and how they would chase out the werewolves as a team. Then, his familiar would trap the pack in a ring of phoenix fire. If they could get the lycanthropes to breathe in the burning potion, it would revert them to human form.</p><p> </p><p>All five of them apparated to the Burrow and settled in to lay in wait around the perimeter. They would wait in human form, for as long as possible, as their animagus forms were largely conspicuous. The twins’ fox forms were a notable exception, compared to the other three, but a lion, bear, and wolf were all bound to draw more attention, then a couple people in bushes and trees.</p><p> </p><p>Despite having the second to largest size, Harry joined the twins in the trees, as they were the most adapted to them. The new siren just made sure to pick a branch big enough to hold his arse up, when he transformed. </p><p> </p><p>He watched for hours, as Ginny, Hermione, and Ron moved in and out of the Burrow, trying and failing to get out of Molly Weasley's way. From what Harry gathered after a few hours of eavesdropping, his grandparents were funding a Molly Weasley catered birthday party for him and Neville.</p><p> </p><p>It was supposed to be a surprise.</p><p> </p><p>They were all full of those today, apparently.</p><p> </p><p>Harry made a mental note to hide behind Remus when the cavalry arrived. He had no interest in facing down the drama queen that was Sirius Black in a snit, not when there was another Marauder to hide behind. Maybe tomorrow he could take that day off that he'd fantasized about having today.</p><p> </p><p>There was some relief that his grandfathers were taking care of the magical duel. Time for Harry to experiment with his new wand had been non-existent and it looked to be a while yet. Couldn't exactly send out brightly colored sparks from his hideout among the heights.</p><p> </p><p>Remus arrived before there was any sign of the pack of rogue werewolves. He had Teddy on his shoulders and the boy was hanging onto a large pile of drawings. Harry was in no way surprised when Ms. Weasley offered to help him make popsicle frames for them and the previous professor settled in for a pipe with Mr. Weasley.</p><p> </p><p>He waited until the pack of werewolves appeared to get into place, all of the lycans downing potions to enable their transformation, before Harry set off his ring. Here’s to hoping Remus would cover his arse, because the grandparents were going to have a fit. Especially the ginger.</p><p> </p><p>The werewolf in question was wound tight. He hadn't heard anything all day; not from Nurmengard, his wife, or Hogwarts. The one time he'd checked in with the fortress, he'd only found out that the boys were in the garden, with the exception of Harry, who was getting a new wand.</p><p> </p><p>Of all the fucking times for the boy to need a new wand! He laid the blame squarely at James Potter's feet. Maybe he'd put a little on the genius redhead, after the previous night's tomfoolery.</p><p> </p><p>They might have a Dark Lord on the loose, but he'd still feel better when Harry was in his sights. The boy got into bloody hijinx without effort. Thinking back on the original generations of Marauders, himself included, Remus just wasn't sure that Gellert and Narcissa had any business being left in Nurmengard, with the second coming, by themselves.</p><p> </p><p>Mind, he wasn't rushing off to say that to the Liberator's face. The werewolf chose to see another day.</p><p> </p><p>He was helping Molly and the other teenagers set up the food on an outdoor table, after assuring her that the twins were safe in Nurmengard with Narcissa, when his son inquired about the Weasleys' swing set. Arthur had just given up on getting the balloons to his wife's satisfaction and happily scooped the toddler off to escape. Remus didn't begrudge the man his freedom, he was just wishing they would have taken him with them, when something caught his werewolf hearing.</p><p> </p><p>It sounded like a growl. A specific growl from his nightmares, that made his hair stand on end, and his breath catch in his throat. When he looked up and Fenrir Greyback was emerging from the tree line in wolf form, he screamed for his son and Arthur to run.</p><p> </p><p>The bastard took off after the pair, before they could even leave the swing set. He had to be torqued up on Inner Wolf Mania, as there was nothing else that enabled the transformation during any time other than a full moon. Remus saw only a flash of gold from the opposite direction, before he realized what he was seeing.</p><p> </p><p>Another animal charged Greyback with a roar. He realized it was some form of lion defending his son, after a moment to breathe, it's dark fur littered with a golden pattern like a jaguar, that had caught the sunlight, and a dark curly mane that protected him when the werewolf went for his throat in the impending fight. Much later, though he couldn't say exactly when, Remus would acknowledge that it was the inflection, which gave away the creature's identity.</p><p> </p><p>"Kitty!!!"</p><p> </p><p>It was Teddy's inflection, from his place in Arthur's arms, being shielded by the wizard, that made him realize that it was Harry. Two red shots blurred over to Arthur and Teddy, yipping at them until the adult understood and made a run for Remus, Molly, and the safety of the Burrow, the two foxes trailing after them as cover. All the while Harry was locked in brutal combat with the werewolf alpha.</p><p> </p><p>Howls and snarls had them looking back to the treeline, as six more werewolves emerged. As they made a run for the fight, Remus realized they weren't running to defend their leader, they were running to escape more animagi. The huge bear of monstrous proportions and a white direwolf chased all six into the fray, backing all seven werewolves together.</p><p> </p><p>It was having seen Draco's jacket as they were leaving the night before that tipped Remus off to the other boys. Then it was obvious, because of course the twins matched, and Neville was a bear. Felt like seeing James and Sirius' forms for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>Peter had never felt right… If only they'd put it together.</p><p> </p><p>There was pandamonium as Molly screamed for everyone to get inside. Remus sent her in with the others, but he wasn't going anywhere. He couldn't just leave the teenagers out here.</p><p> </p><p>He was amid summoning a patronus bound for Sirius and Graves, when a shriek brought a pause to everything. All he could do was watch as Hedwig tore from the sky, flaming black fire about her wings, and seemingly about to barrel into the ground. She pulled up at the last moment though, as the werewolves were preparing to try and fight their way out, to fly low across the ground causing a ring of phoenix fire to burn around the seven lycanthropes.</p><p> </p><p>Harry and his friends were just transforming back into their human forms, when numerous pops alerted the former professor that someone had sounded an alarm. Remus watched the moment that Sirius Black took in the fact that the teenagers were animagi and hadn't told them. The incandescence made him laugh, despite what had almost happened.</p><p> </p><p>Chuckles were still escaping him, as the second generation of Marauders threw some sort of potion into the fire, and the werewolves all started turning back to their human forms. That was fascinating enough to make everyone within the Burrow and the arrived aid, stop to take in the moment. All of them wanted to know who managed such a thing and how.</p><p> </p><p>One of the magical werewolves pulled his wand and attempted to attack Harry through the fire. He was stopped by the sound of a cyclone, as a Tocha Kachina appeared out of nowhere, and flapped its wings. All seven wolves toppled to the ground, several burning themselves, as they fell into the fire.</p><p> </p><p>"Kitty!"</p><p> </p><p>Harry seemed perfectly content to avoid the host of grandparents, godparents, and one actual parent, who had turned up to whatever signal went out. Even Grindelwald, who either broke out, or Remus had missed more than he thought since checking in earlier, was on the scene. Instead the teen turned back into a lion and pranced up to Teddy, after thanking the new magical creature, who flew off with Hedwig.</p><p> </p><p>The toddler giggled, hugging the lion's snout, before backing up and holding up his hands like claws, "Rawr!!!"</p><p> </p><p>Harry didn't hesitate, roaring back in his godbrother's face, a sound which had enough power to knock the tot onto his backside. Teddy enjoyed it though, happily wrapping his arms around the animagus' snout, when the lion went to help him up. He even let the creature sling him onto its back, giggling all the way.</p><p> </p><p>Remus snorted when Harry promptly came to hide behind his legs, as if the werewolf had a chance as sheltering him.</p><p> </p><p>"I think not!" Sirius cried as everyone made the check on the Burrow's inhabitants, "Moony, you hand them over this instant! I'm turning them into throw rugs!!"</p><p> </p><p>That was when the werewolf realized that all five boys had made to hide behind him, not just Harry.</p><p> </p><p>"Now, Pads…"</p><p> </p><p>"No! You will not protect them! They ran away from Nurmengard…"</p><p> </p><p>"We did it on a weekly basis."</p><p> </p><p>"They were supposed to tell us everything and they were still hiding being animagi!"</p><p> </p><p>"Again, we did it."</p><p> </p><p>"They got into a fight with a pack of werewolves!"</p><p> </p><p>"Fifth year, sir. Fifth year."</p><p> </p><p>"You cannot possibly be defending them!"</p><p> </p><p>"They just saved my son from certain death. I will knock your block off, before I let you yell at them for that!"</p><p> </p><p>Narcissa sighed from her place next to Gellert, Capri on her hip, "Remus, I appreciate the spirit of that, but they can't keep doing this!"</p><p> </p><p>Albus agreed, "They should have at least told us about the impending ambush!"</p><p> </p><p>Harry shot to his human feet in a flash, "I tried that, you presumptuous arsehole, but you cut me off!"</p><p> </p><p>"I did not!"</p><p> </p><p>"You did too!" Harry hollered right back, "In Ollivander's, I tried to tell you that I had two visions, but you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise!"</p><p> </p><p>Silence rang on the wind for several long seconds. </p><p> </p><p>Percy finally turned to his fae mate, eyebrow arched, as the Headmaster was blinking, guiltily, at their grandson, "Well? Did that happen, Chief Warlock?"</p><p> </p><p>"Umm… Maybe."</p><p> </p><p>The vampire rolled his eyes, "Well, you all managed to dodge one more hissy fit. Congratulations. Even managed to save your party…"</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, come on! We were never this lucky!"</p><p> </p><p>"Then concede to your betters and come help me arrest these Death Eaters."</p><p> </p><p>"I would rather kiss…"</p><p> </p><p>Whatever Black would have finished with, was cut off by the Hard Charger seizing him by the ear, "What did I just say? Move that arse, young man!"</p><p> </p><p>The twat getting hauled off twice in one day had Severus tickled pink, if he could actually go pink anymore. He watched as the party set off, as information changed hands, and news of the Dark Lord’s defeat circulated. Capri was set loose with Teddy, once all of the confirmed Death Eaters were arrested and removed from the scene, the toddlers fascinated by the teenager’s animagi forms.</p><p> </p><p>Slowly the aurors who had been working the scene of Voldemort’s defeat showed up to the party and spirits of varied forms were put into circulation. He had settled with a drink in one of the lawn chairs by the treeline, just to take in what his son had managed. Yesterday… Severus had thought he’d probably die before Harry ever knew that he had three parents.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Cissy wandered over to drop into the chair next to him. She didn’t seem capable of looking away from the second generation of Marauders. They were an impressive lot.</p><p> </p><p>They’d formed their own smoking circle with the remaining members of the first generation and Harry had Draco in a headlock. Black called off the rough housing after a few minutes, where he was talking to the twins about their joke shop, along with Remus. Longbottom was still hovering near the werewolf, Severus wasn’t sure why, but he was glad the boy had someone to give him confidence after Augusta came barrelling onto the scene after looking for him for over a day.</p><p> </p><p>He watched with his best friend, as Tina Scamander and her husband finally arrived at the party, a letter clutched in her hand. That was how the announcement was made that Percival Graves was retiring from Macusa. The vampire’s spouses, one professional and one intimate, were opposing sides of a coin in both’s hysterics.</p><p> </p><p>Gellert was thrilled and Tina was irate.</p><p> </p><p>Severus scoffed as the twins threw their dragon trainer brother at Newt Scamander, eyes straying over to where his son had dropped into Theseus’ lap. They would make a striking couple, once the Lord Commander stopped being so twitchy about the teen’s age. It had never counted in magical circles, not for hundreds of years, as long as everyone was over above the puberty line.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, he turned to look at the witch next to him, “You alright, Cissy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yesterday morning… Your godson came in acting weird.”</p><p> </p><p>The snort he gave was involuntary, “I’m godfather to Sirius Black’s spawn… Somewhere in the afterlife, my husband can’t stop laughing.”</p><p> </p><p>She sniffed daintily, “Brought him in for the home team, didn’t we?”</p><p> </p><p>Sure enough, Hermione Granger got a chill earlier, and after Draco gave up his coat for her, his Slytherin tattoo was proudly on display. Severus grinned at that, before returning to their conversation, “Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p> </p><p>“It was the only way to keep him safe,” She sighed and, after a moment of contemplation, her gaze heated and she judged him, “How could you not have noticed? He was twelve when he found out!”</p><p> </p><p>He downed his drink and stalked over to get another, the woman following him, “You’d think after Lily, we’d pay more attention to the kids’ heritage potions.”</p><p> </p><p>“Honestly, Severus, your son noticed before you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think he counts,” The vampire defended, looking over to where his son was explaining his new wolfsbane potion, which apparently removed all pain from the transformation and granted coherency for one year after consumption, to Granger. Lupin was already going bottoms up with one of the extra vials, “Got his mother’s brain and his father’s natural ability.”</p><p> </p><p>As someone who had watched James and Severus grow together, Cissy saw what no one else probably would. Severus missed his dueling partner, his archnemesis; James had been the antagonist to his protagonist and vice versa. It had never been a matter of heroes and villains between the pair, but rather a matter of entertainment and stimulation. Despite their tragic coming out story fifth year, Narcissa had to admit that the men had lived to challenge each other.</p><p> </p><p>“You like arguing with him,” She cited, “You’ve missed it.”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t supposed to… Things got out of hand with that.”</p><p> </p><p>“You should tell him that.”</p><p> </p><p>“He barely took something for a hangover from me.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve both been dealing with false expectations. He’s not James and you’re not, always, an arsehole,” She was glad that something could still make her friend grin. Glancing up and realizing someone else was making their way toward them, the witch beamed, “Of course, no time like the present to sort things out. Good luck.”</p><p> </p><p>Confused as she patted his shoulder and made for Black, Severus froze when his son was suddenly standing next to him at the bar. He didn’t really do anything at first, just poured himself a firewhiskey, before finally perching on the bar by an elbow, green eyes appraising the… </p><p> </p><p>Grown arse vampire that he was, “Quite finished showing out, Mr. Potter?”</p><p> </p><p>“Only if you’re finished being a first rate tosser.”</p><p> </p><p>Tongue in cheek to fight a grin, Severus corrected him, “...First rate tosser, sir.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s no need to call me sir, professor.”</p><p> </p><p>He spun to glare at the fifteen year old, refusing to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my God, Harry!” Granger scolded.</p><p> </p><p>Severus turned and realized that Draco was pouring her a drink behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Leave them be, Mione,” His godson instructed, handing over the drink and pulling her away from the bar, “This is their natural habitat! We’re the strange ones here.”</p><p> </p><p>All he could do was shake his head, finally giving into a grin, and turning back to his son. The vampire leaned on the bar, matching him, and just took in the brat. After a few minutes, he ran the hand that wasn’t holding his drink over his goatee and demanded, “So, what did they say?”</p><p> </p><p>“You can read them, if you want.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, those were for you. I just want to know what you knew.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mum seemed to think the war would be over, even if the worst happened,” Harry admitted, “Dad… He knew. Not everything, but enough.”</p><p> </p><p>The older wizard grimaced, eyes closing for a moment. His poor seer mate. He’d always hated knowing that James saw things he didn’t want to, things that the Gryffindor couldn’t change.</p><p> </p><p>“The day before he died, he had all the locks changed to all the Potter properties, and put the new keys in Gringotts,” Harry took the tether from his neck and showed his father how the key transformed into a letter, then into different keys, before putting it back, “His letter became the key to the apartment, then to the rest of them.”</p><p> </p><p>“He had a vision of this day,” Severus just knew. He didn’t know exactly what James had seen, but it had been… Harry was right, it had been enough, “What else?”</p><p> </p><p>“He said that as irritating as you could be while doing your heartless vampire, double agent schtick,” Severus rolled his eyes, absolutely positive that his son was quoting the stupid stag, “That his favorite King of the Chaotic Bisexuals was still in there somewhere.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry grinned at his father, downing his drink, “He also told me to join Dueling Club my second year. Said you weren’t going to be able to resist the temptation.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, that much had been true. Severus scoffed, “We were dueling partners in school. Your mother was a pacifist. She hated it… She told you about the family?”</p><p> </p><p>The teen shrugged and admitted, “Mum told me about the family, Dad told me how to outsmart the lot.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you want to get away with anything,” Severus offered, knowing exactly what his mate had always insisted, “You have until Percival Graves finds out about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cheers,” Harry offered his glass.</p><p> </p><p>They both drank and made for the nearest smoking circle. Luckily it was the adult Lupins and Aruthur, where they were keeping eyes on the younger kids on the swing set. Severus smiled at Narcissa and Black attempting to corral the rest of the Marauders’ second coming.</p><p> </p><p>The father and son pair were tracked from the time Harry made for the bar, until they settled in the circle. Feline eyes watched for any signs of trouble. Gods knew they hadn’t been able to hold a civil conversation for four years.</p><p> </p><p>It was ridiculous. </p><p> </p><p>“Leave them be, Minerva,” Albus instructed from his place in their circle with his mates, brother, and her.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you see that key transform?”</p><p> </p><p>“I did, probably something from James.”</p><p> </p><p>“No shit, Albus,” She hissed, watching Remus light and put a new round into circulation for the pair, “He was always too good at it and now he’s got Harry doing it from beyond the grave. That and magical integration with technology. What idiot teaches that sort of magic to teenagers?”</p><p> </p><p>Aberforth busted out laughing next to her, “Minerva McGonagall, let me introduce you to Percival Graves, the man responsible for James’ custom broom seventh year, Sirius’ motorbike, and Arthur’s car.”</p><p> </p><p>She turned on the vampire, brow arched, “You’re responsible for that travesty Harry’s second year?!”</p><p> </p><p>Percy glared at his best friend, “One of these days, Abby, big brother’s not going to be here to protect you, and when that day comes…”</p><p> </p><p>Gellert snorted, “Went down that path. Do not recommend it.”</p><p> </p><p>The innkeeper waved both off, “You’ve been threatening that since we met, Perce.”</p><p> </p><p>“Behave, children,” Albus hummed around an inhale.</p><p> </p><p>The witch huffed, “Well, I told the twins about the inspection. They’re going to handle it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I still don’t know what that means.”</p><p> </p><p>“It means I’d have a replacement in mind for Umbridge.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who am I going to get after the year already started?”</p><p> </p><p>She shrugged and waved to Graves, “Bring in the Hard Charger. He’s bound to get bored in retirement.”</p><p> </p><p>As the vampire was getting ready to comment, there was a familiar popping sound. They all looked toward the gorgeous blonde man, with long curly hair, who was wearing black denim jeans and a silk blue shirt. There was another man with him, dark haired, but utterly lovely, making most of the girls think about the fable character Tam Lin. And finally there was a much older woman, in a green dress suit, who looked more fierce than even Minerva McGonagall could manage.</p><p> </p><p>The party at large was confused when the blonde demanded that someone produce his grandson.</p><p> </p><p>"Ahh Fuck," Percy groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "What the fuck am I supposed to do with them?"</p><p> </p><p>"Offer up Harry as a sacrificial lamb," Gellert instructed, "And confess later."</p><p> </p><p>Percy just rolled his eyes and moved to collect the trio, raising a hand to get their attention, "Pépère Lestat! Mémé Louis! Tanté Hilda!"</p><p> </p><p>The perfect French accent on the first two almost did Albus in right there. </p><p> </p><p>Gellert snorted next to him, but didn't comment, even as he drug the Headmaster over to the gathering family, waving for Harry to join them. Percy might not sell out their grandson to buy them out of the doghouse with the older generations, but the siren had no such qualms. He was not dealing with Bathilda Bagshot in a snit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That wraps this one up. There are other versions of this story, including a Harry gets rescued as a toddler, and Harry is mates with Fred and George. I also had inspiration to do a FleurxHarryxViktor version recently, with fourth year going very differently as a result. Don't know if any of them will get posted, but if anyone is super interest in one, please let me know.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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